Tony Stark defies Destiny's Will
by SonnyGoten
Summary: Soulmate-AU, Post-Civil War. After Siberia, Tony Stark does the unthinkable. He rejects his own soul mate and disbands the Avengers. When Tony tries to implement two new regulations to replace the Sokovia Accords, he encounters strong opposition from Thaddeus Ross, who is backed by a US government that is growing more fascist every day. It's up to Tony to save the day.
1. PT1 All in a song, It's so quiet

**Disclaimer:** This is a multi-category crossover. The story follows the MCU up until Civil War, then diverges for obvious reasons. Agents of SHIELD up until Season 3 and the Netflix shows are also considered part of this fic's timeline. Of the X-men franchise, only I've only embraced the First Class movie into my timeline. Obviously, I don't own any of the characters, etc. etc.

Note 1: This story was first published on AO3 under my pen name SonnyGoten. The story was published as two parts, namely 'All in a song' and 'Broken Chains' of the series "Tony Stark defies Destiny's Will". I decided to post the two parts merged together as one story, but you will notice a certain shift in tone and also an increase in POVs as the story expands dramatically in the 2nd part.

Note 2: Be aware that I came away from the Civil War movie as Team Iron Man and so this story is rather Team Cap-critical. That being said, this is a fix-it fic. Sort of. All members of TeamCap will come to some sort of understanding with Tony at the end of this fic, at the very least; even Steve Rogers (whom I severely dislike at the moment, but I'll do my best not to bash him).

* * *

PART 1 : All in a song

 **Chapter 1: It's so quiet**

When Steve Rogers was a small child, he did not understand the people around him who kept talking about the sweet lullaby that was supposedly heard inside their heads. His mother gave him a hesitant look, as he voiced his worries to her.

"Sweetheart," she said, "you're still so young. Perhaps your one and only hasn't yet been born."

His concerns allayed for the moment, he did not think of the matter any longer.

But as he grew up, his head always remained silent. Even when all the children around him one by one got to hear their heartsong, his head remained woefully empty. One day, as he thought back and remembered the worry in his mother's eyes as she tried to comfort him, a sudden thought came to him. What if he would never have a soul mate? What if he — sickly as he was — was never supposed to have one, because he was going to die young and alone?

He was afraid to ask his mother. Afraid to know the truth.

When Steve reached maturity, World War Two broke out.

One day his best friend Bucky came to him, face pale and eyes red.

"I don't hear it anymore," he said hoarsely.

Bucky's heartsong had died out. His soul mate had died before they had ever met.

"I... know how it feels. Not hearing it," said Steve. "I've never heard mine."

It was the first time he told anyone outside of his mother.

That night the two friends commiserated and sought solace from each other's warmth, the sound of their passion breaking through the quiet in their heads.

When the war reached American soil, there was no time to think of soul mates anymore.

During that fateful war many voices died out. But for Steve Rogers, who had taken the serum and become Captain America, then flown himself into the Arctic ice, a new beginning was waiting for him.

* * *

TBC...


	2. Arctic wind

**Chapter 2: Arctic wind**

When Tony Stark was a child, he did not hear any voice humming to him inside his head. No, there was no sweet lullaby whispering to Tony, who only ever heard the howling of the wind. And whenever Tony paid enough attention to it, he felt cold inside. Terribly cold, as if he'd been camping out in the Arctic, wearing only shorts.

He wondered why that was, but he never dared to ask his father about it. He had never been good enough in his father's eyes, could never measure up to the great Captain America, and he didn't want to appear as more of a failure than he already was in the old man's eyes. But whenever Howard Stark would mention Steve Rogers to Tony, it always felt inexplicably colder in the room than it had been before.

It stayed that way, until one day Tony wondered if the reason he could only hear an arctic wind was because fate felt he was not good enough to have a soul mate, that he was unworthy.

 _Then again..._ he sometimes tries to comfort himself, _fate's a bunch of nonsense brought into the world to control the will of the people and keep them weak._

As Tony came to the conclusion that there simply was no soul mate waiting for him, he began to act out. He began to party harder, came home later into the night. It wasn't as if his father actually cared about him beyond getting excellent grades and preparing for the inheritance of Stark Industries. He wasn't Steve Rogers, and so he wasn't good enough for Howard's attentions.

On December 16, 1991, Howard Stark and his wife Maria died in a car accident. Howard died, thinking of Tony as a disappointment.

Tony, unable to cope with the death of his parents, had the majority of Stark Industries' responsibilities handed over to Obadiah Stane, while he began to cultivate the image of genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist for himself.

Then, Afghanistan happened.

It changed Tony's life. The super hero Iron Man was born, and for the first time Tony felt that he was good enough. He was good enough to save peoples' lives, to make a difference in this world.

It appeared that fate was trying to fight his happiness, though.

Not long after he became Iron Man, he discovered that the Arc Reactor, which was powering the electromagnet that stopped the shrapnel from entering his heart, was slowly killing him.

 _Death by Palladium Poisoning, what a great way to go out!_ he thought to himself sarcastically.

In truth, it was affecting him a lot deeper than he cared to admit. He did not want to die, but he wondered whether fate was telling him that he was unworthy of the Iron Man armor.

 _It seems that I'm not good enough to be a hero either, eh?_

But Tony was not called a genius for nothing. In the end, using the old diagram his father left behind, he managed to overcome his Palladium dependency.

He felt elated; after defeating the villain Vanko, his life was on a roll! Sure, Nick Fury didn't think he was good enough for the Avengers Initiative, but who cared? He was Iron Man once more, Pepper was running Stark Industries like a boss, and to top everything off, he and Pepper had started off a steady relationship. What more could he want?

He felt so giddy that one day he decided to take his suit out for a joyride. But as he flew in the sky, something strange happened.

The howling inside his head began to diminish. The ever present biting cold in his heart seemed to slowly melt and slip away from his being.

It was as if something was warming him from the inside.

Then, very softly, he heard the first notes of a song. Someone with a deep, gentle baritone was humming to him.

Was humming to him inside his head.

"Uhm, JARVIS?"

"Yes, Mr. Stark?" his ever faithful AI replied in clipped tones.

"Are you humming a song right now?"

"No, Mr. Stark, you never programmed me to perform such features. But with the algorithms you did install for me, I can acquire these new skills in approximately 15 seconds."

"If you're not humming to me, then who is?" asked Tony with trepidation.

It remained silent for a few moments, but then JARVIS said, "Sir, perhaps this is the ever elusive heartsong, that is only known to living organisms with a higher form of intelligence?"

If not for JARVIS taking over the suit, Tony would have crashed into the skyscraper in front of him in that moment.

xxx

Elsewhere in the United States, Steve Rogers woke up from a seventy year slumber to the light teasing notes sung by a man's voice.

* * *

TBC...


	3. Project eff U

**Chapter 3: Project eff U**

While Tony was perfectly content to stay with Pepper, he could not help but become curious about who was singing his heartsong.

Why was his soul mate only singing to him now? Why not before? Was it perhaps because his soul mate had not yet been born until now?

 _Please, don't let that be the case..._ Tony thought to himself. He knew it was unreasonable, as no one can freely choose who their own soul mate is, but for some reason it still made him feel kind of like a pervert.

But perhaps it was nothing so drastic. Maybe he simply could never hear his soul mate sing to him, because the other was too far away.

 _Yeah, maybe it's like radio frequency... my soul mate could have simply been out of range..._

And, in any case, the voice of his soul mate was definitely sung by an adult male.

"But maybe everyone only hears the adult version of their soul mate's voice?" Tony mused aloud. "Or does the voice grow deeper as the soul mate gets older? What if my soul mate used to be mute?"

He grew annoyed by the questions popping up in his head. Why had no one ever thought to ask these things before? Honestly, with the advancement of science in the last few centuries, shouldn't people have figured out the hows and whys of the heartsong by now?

"I guess I'll have to be the first to probe around," Tony muttered to himself. Then, to his AI: "JARVIS, open a new file for me, please. We have a new side-project to work on."

"Yes, sir."

"Hmm... as for the project name... let's just call it 'Project eff U'."

When JARVIS remained silent, Tony said, "It's a shorthand for Fate Unraveled."

"Of course," said JARVIS.

"Right." Tony tapped his nose for a moment. "Let's see, this isn't a very important project, so I don't want you to waste too much on it. JARVIS, allocate 0.01 percent of your resources to Project FU. Start collecting data on the heartsong from Internet and anywhere else you can legally get access to."

With those decisions made, Tony went upstairs to grab a cup of coffee. In the kitchen, he found Pepper already in the process of pouring herself a cup.

"Hello, darling," he said, and gave her a kiss on the cheek. She smiled at him, returning the affectionate gesture.

"Coffee, Tony?"

"Yes, please!"

She poured him a cup and they sat down comfortably at the table. Still thinking of his new little project, Tony gave Pepper an assessing look. They'd never really spoken of this before, but Tony knew that Pepper had a different soul mate.

"Pepper...?"

"Yes?"

"When did you first hear your heartsong?"

Pepper blinked. "Oh, well..." She frowned, thinking for a few moments. "To be honest, I think I've always heard it...?" Chuckling, she said, "It's wonderful to be able to hear the one fate has made just for you, but I don't dwell on it too much. Everyone knows that finding your soul mate is like winning the lottery, it only happens once in a million times."

"Actually, the chances to win the jackpot are approximately 1 in 14 million," Tony quipped. "Anyway, what I'd like to know is -"

In that moment, they were interrupted by Pepper's cell phone. Frowning, Pepper picked it up.

"I thought today my schedule was free," she said, a hint of irritation etched into her voice. Then, after a moment, a raised eyebrow. "Are you serious? How bad is it?" She bit her lip for a moment. "No, it's fine, I'll be there."

"What's going on?" Tony asked her, when she hung up.

"Embezzlement," Pepper growled. "Nothing I can't handle, Tony, don't worry."

"With you on the case?" Tony joked. "Never."

She kissed him goodbye and hurried towards the elevator.

Tony sighed, sipping from his cup. "You got that, JARVIS?"

"Yes, Mr. Stark. Also, I would like to inform you that Mr. Rhodes has come to visit you."

"Ah... I see."

Tony was quite eager to ask Rhodey a few questions about his heartsong, but... he still remembered their second year at MIT, when Rhodey's heartsong had suddenly gone quiet. The man had been inconsolable for weeks. During that time, Tony had supported his friend as much as he could, even divulging his own secret, that Tony had no heartsong at all.

Tony wasn't sure if he should risk hurting Rhodey by bringing this subject up again.

On the other hand... he had always told Rhodey everything. To this day, Rhodey was still the only one in the world besides JARVIS (but his AI wasn't a person) who knew about his lack of heartsong. Or, more accurately, previous lack of heartsong.

 _I'll tell him,_ Tony decided. _I'm sure he would like to know._

"Hey, Rhodey, what's taken you here?"

"Can't a man want to visit his best friend?" Rhodey said, chuckling as he did.

"Nope, he can't," Tony joked back. "Want some coffee?" He went to the coffee machine to make some.

"I haven't even answered you, Tones'."

"Yeah, but I already know you'd say yes," Tony teased.

"Of course you do." Rhodey sat down at the table and stretched. "I have a feeling something is going on behind our backs. You remember SHIELD, right? There's some rumor going on about them having shipped back something to the US a few days ago, something related to the Avengers Initiative."

Tony raised a brow. "There's always something going on with SHIELD, Rhodey. They're a spy agency. Want me to find out what they shipped back?"

He didn't wait for his friend's answer.

"JARVIS, find out for me what dirty secret our friends at SHIELD are hiding, will you?"

"On it, sir."

As Tony gave Rhodey his cup of coffee, he decided to drop the bomb.

"I have a heartsong."

Rhodey almost let the cup slip from his grasp. "What!?"

"I have it now. A heartsong."

"Tony that's... that's great!"

Tony frowned. "I don't really understand why though. Why now of all times?"

"Well, it's fate." Rhodey said with a shrug. "You can't rush it."

"Yeah, that's nice and all," Tony huffed, "But that doesn't answer ANY of my questions. Like for example, why does everyone else hear their song when they're born, and why do I hear mine now?"

"Not everyone hears their when they're born, Tony," said Rhodey. "You know that; I heard mine when I was nine."

That was the lead in for Tony to take. "Ah, yes, about that, Rhodey, when you first heard it, how did it sound?"

Rhodey blinked, not understanding where this was going. "What do you mean?"

"Well, I mean did you hear a woman? Or perhaps a man?"

"I, uh... heard a girl."

Tony leaned forward excitedly "And as you got older, did the girl's voice turn into a woman's?"

"...Yes?"

"Hah!" Tony jumped and threw his hand up in excitement "You got that, JARVIS?"

"Sir, a single sample does not represent the entire population," his AI pointed out.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Don't spoil my moment, JARVIS!"

Rhodey gave his friend a bewildered look. "Seriously?" he said. "You're doing a scientific study on the heartsong?"

"Well, duh!" said Tony, "You really think I'm the kind of person to rely on old wives' tales?"

And that was the beginning of the unraveling of fate.

* * *

TBC...


	4. Of heartsongs and soulmarks

**Chapter 4: Of heartsongs and soulmarks**

The two tasks JARVIS was set out do quickly yielded results.

First of all, there was the data on heartsongs collected from the Internet. The data revealed a certain pattern to Tony:

The only way for people to find their soul mate was through song; recorded or directly heard made no difference in recognition, neither did the type of song sung; as long as the singing voice matched the one inside your head, it was jackpot. It also seemed that people who were meant for each other would **always** confess as soon as possible upon learning who their other half was. After this confession, if one or both parties were in committed relationships (with or without children), that relationship would **always** give way to the soul bond, leading to break ups and heart aches, but also strangely enough to understanding, because you're _supposed_ to be with the one made for you. In other words, the soul bond was regarded above any other relationship.

Tony wasn't sure how he felt about that.

The second thing JARVIS found was that the shipment SHIELD had been trying to cover up was the great Captain America himself. Frozen in a block of ice in all his spangled glory. Like a Popsicle.

Though Tony certainly felt sympathy for the man, being put into the ice for seventy years like that, on some level, Tony could not contain his amusement. He remembered that long ago, when he'd only been a child, he had greatly idolized the Steve Rogers, while also harboring a major inferiority complex towards the man thanks to his father. The Captain had been his hero, someone he had looked up to, and for that reason the Captain America themed ice pops had always been his favorite. They still were, although Tony would never admit to the fact that he still enjoyed the odd Popsicle on a hot summer day.

 _Maybe I should call him Capsicle from now on,_ Tony thought.

His amusement and his fondness for his childhood idol did not last. The first time he met the great Capsicle, things did not run smoothly. Everyone was high strung, as the Tesseract had been stolen by an alien god named Loki, and the arrogant manner in which Steve held himself, as if Tony somehow stood beneath him, did nothing to endear the Captain to the him.

In fact, tensions boiled over soon after, and the belittling comments Steve Rogers threw into his face made him reel with ice cold anger. Not one to back down, he gave back as good as he got.

It all culminated into the events of New York.

While during that alien invasion Tony and Steve managed to patch things up (more or less... sometimes he still wanted to punch Steve in his perfect white teeth), his trip to outer space left Tony to deal with no small case of PTSD.

It affected his relationship with Pepper, to the point where he (and the legion of suits he had build as a coping mechanism) became a danger to her.

While, after resolving the Mandarin case, he destroyed all his suits for her in the end, and managed to stabilize the effects of the Extremis she had been infected with, their relationship continued to deteriorate. It wasn't the case that she no longer had feelings for him or that he didn't loved her, that was never the case. But he still felt bound to his duties as the hero Iron Man, and she could not cope with the fact that he could get hurt again. And he still suffered from PTSD; the Extremis never managed to take that away from him, even though it did allow him the opportunity to remove the arc reactor and shrapnel from his chest.

It was no wonder that Pepper did not show up at the party he threw for the Avengers, after they had successfully retrieved Loki's scepter in a mission in Sokovia.

There was one other person notably missing from the party: Jane Foster.

"So, Point Break..." said Tony, "Your girlfriend's not here either?"

Thor's smile only dimmed minutely before he took a swig of his drink and continued to enjoy the blaring music.

"Jane said she was very busy."

"U-huh, that's what Pepper said too."

Had Thor caught at all that he was being ditched?

Tony cleared his throat. "So, ehm... you being several centuries old and all... or is it millenniums? Anyway, you'd think that fate kind of screwed you over right? What with Dr. Foster being human and dying in a blink of your immortal eye... or is there something you gods have to make your companions immortal?"

Thor gave Tony a careful look. "We of Asgard do have soul mates, Man of Iron," he said. "But I do not know whether Jane is my one or not."

He hadn't exactly asked about soul mates in particular, being careful in phrasing his question in case Jane wasn't the one, but Thor seemed to have figured him out anyway.

"You don't know? You'd think after all these centuries - or millenniums? - you'd have found out by now who your soul mate is," Tony replied flippantly. "Haven't you asked her to sing for you?"

"Sing?" Thor blinked, as if he did not understand Tony.

Tony frowned in turn. "Yeah...? The heartsong?"

At that Thor's eyes lid up in understanding. "Ah, I see!" he exclaimed in his booming voice. "I did not know that the Norns had interwoven the Midgardian souls with heartsongs!"

It was Tony's turn to blink. "It's not like that for Asgardians?"

 _And what the hell are Norns anyway?_

"Ah, no my friend," Thor chuckled, shaking his head. "The Norns tried, but the Aesir souls were not pliable, so they had to find another way." He lifted the sleeve of his 'Midgardian' outfit. "See this? It's a soulmark written in the language of the Norns. I cannot read it but the name of my soul mate is written on the inside of my arm. We Aesir are born with it."

He was about to pull his sleeve back, when Tony stopped him. "This..." Tony muttered to himself, "looks like some sort of code..." He looked up at Thor. "Can I have it?"

"What?" Thor gave him a bewildered look.

"I mean, if I'm not imposing upon you, could I make a picture of that soulmark-thingy?" Tony asked, trying but failing to contain his excitement. "I might be able to decipher it."

Thor chuckled. "I do not doubt your intellect, Man of Iron, but even you could not translate the language of the Fates."

"Well," Tony stubbornly pushed, "can I at least try?"

Thor let out a booming laugh, but in the end he allowed Tony to take a picture of the mark with his cell phone.

"So," said Tony while he send the uploaded the picture for JARVIS to decode, "You said that you did not know if Jane Foster was your soul mate or not, but does this mean that she, despite being human, has the ability to be paired with an Asgardian?"

"It is indeed possible for two souls born in different world or realms to be born for each other," Thor acknowledges. "And such case is not even rare. I would imagine that it is a tragic matter for Midgard, as you Midgardians do not have the means to travel across the nine realms to find your one."

"I see." Tony gave Thor a contemplative look. "Are humans and Asgardians the only ones with soul mates? Or do all higher life forms have one? Are there alien races of higher intelligence that don't have soul mates?"

Thor thought deeply, rubbing his scruffy chin as he did so. "I know not of a kind that is not bound by the rules of the soul bond," he admitted at length.

Tony rapidly fired another question. "Then, do all of them have either heartsongs or soulmarks?" he asked, "For example, your adopted brother, Loki, you said that he was one of those, uh... those Ice Giants right?"

"Frost Giants," Thor corrected.

"Rights, so, what does he have?"

Thor frowned. "I've seen his soulmark, but somehow it always felt wrong to me. I realize now that it is of my father's magic, done to hide his true nature. Frost Giants have neither heartsongs nor soulmarks. Their souls were already ensnared by the Casket of Ancient Winters, so the song could not be interwoven; and their ice cold skin was unable to take any mark. The Norns had therefore decided to bring their soul mate to them through dreams. In every dream of every single Frost Giant the presence of their other half can be felt. They call it The Haunting."

Tony would have liked to ask further, but they were interrupted by Natasha. "Are you telling otherworldly ghost stories?" she asked.

Tony knew from her SHIELD files that Natasha had lost her soul mate during the time when she was still working for the Russians. He realized that it might not be the kind of thing that she wanted to be reminded of, so he decided to direct the conversation to the opening she had given them.

"Oh yeah, Thor here is going to tell us all about the kinds of ghosts and monsters that Asgard has in store..."

Later that night, the Avengers were attacked by a newly born Ultron.

* * *

TBC...


	5. It's certainly not love, but-

**Chapter 5: It's certainly not love, but...**

The Avengers ultimately managed to defeat Ultron. In the process, they gained Vision and the Scarlet Witch, and Sam and Colonel Rhodes also became full members. Bruce, however, left, unwilling to further endanger the people around him. Clint retired to be with his wife and children. Tony went on a semi-retirement as well, claiming that he needed to work on a new project, something about augmented reality to 'fix' the world from PTSD.

Steve had almost wanted to roll his eyes at that. People aren't robots; they can't be simply fixed of their problems.

Although Tony was still in the picture, giving press conferences about Avengers related issues, and providing the team with gadgets and the Avengers Compound, Steve could not help but be glad on some level that Tony had lessened his involvement with the team on the field. Every time he remembered Ultron and Tony's hand in creating that monster, Steve felt a deep disappointment welling up inside of him. He knew Tony was not a malicious man in nature, but sometimes Howard's son could be such a walking disaster, that Steve wondered what Howard would think if he were still alive to see the things his son had done.

Not that Tony cared how his father thought of him. Steve knew that Tony did not like his father and that Tony did not like to bring Howard up in any kind of conversation.

It was one more reason not to tell Tony about the truth that Steve and Natasha had found on Howard's death. Steve and Natasha had discussed after the discovery of the murder what steps they were supposed to take regarding Tony, and Natasha had ultimately said that, as team leader, it was best if Steve handled this delicate matter. Steve did not need to think about it long, before deciding against telling Tony. Tony was reckless enough as it was without the added emotional burden.

Speaking of Natasha, Steve wondered how she was holding up now that Bruce Banner was gone.

He had thought them to be a good match, but then he'd overheard Clint and Natasha speak at the the safe house.

"I know you spoke to him, Nat," Clint had said. "Did you tell him about...?"

"Yeah, I told him." Natasha nodded. "Red room. Graduation day." Her voice was emotionless. "He knows I'm not a full woman, that my body has been worked on. Just like him, I can't have children."

"What about the red in your ledger?"

If Steve did not have superior hearing, he would not have heard the slight change in Natasha's tone. "He doesn't need to hear about that."

"Nat," Clint urged, "if you're serious about Bruce, then you need to tell him about your soul mate."

"Tell him, what!" Natasha snapped, "I already told him that I am a monster! Does he need to know that my true face is even worse? I can't! It pushed her away, it will make him run as well!"

"Nat, please," Clint tries, but Natasha sounded defeated.

"I killed her family, Clint. I marked her husband as my target and used a kitchen knife to butcher him, and when her daughters caught me in the act I killed them as well." Natasha was breathing heavily. "I did this to her, knowing that she was my one. I pushed my own soul mate into suicide; I have _her_ blood on my hands, Clint. If Bruce knows about this... that I place mission above everything... I haven't changed, Clint..."

Steve shook himself out of the memory. To this day, he did not know what to think of that revelation.

Thinking about soul mates made him think of his own situation.

He had never thought that he was destined for someone, until he was brought out of the ice. When he first heard his sweet voice inside his head, he was so surprised, he almost thought he'd gone to Heaven. He felt happy, when he realized that he finally had a heartsong of his own, someone meant just for him.

But things had changed.

Ever since the alien invasion had happened in New York, the voice, which had been chipper before, became melancholic, and sometimes even erratic. Steve knew, deep inside his heart, that something must have happened to his soul mate for the heartsong to have been affected and changed in this manner. He was almost certain that his soul mate had been present in New York during the invasion.

It worried Steve, but he did not know what to do to comfort his other half. There was nothing he could do to reach out to the other.

Steve sighed and went down towards the workshop of the Compound, where Tony was supposed to be putting the last touches onto the Avengers' gadgets before they were going to take off to Lagos for a new mission. Instead, he found Tony toying with his phone.

"What are you doing?" he demanded.

"Not now," said Tony without looking up. "I'm almost on to something."

"On to what?"

"The tattoo," Tony replied, and Steve had no idea what the other man was talking about. "Thank god I hadn't wiped that picture from my phone after uploading it to-" He stopped for a moment, as if remembering something bad, before shaking himself out of it. "Well, anyway, I've almost cracked Thor's soul-tattoo, or whatever the hell it is those Asgardians calls their equivalents of heartsongs."

"I thought you were upgrading our gadgets," Steve said, thoroughly exasperated by Tony's unreliable behavior.

"FRIDAY is upgrading your gadgets, I'm only overseeing her in case she makes a mistake," Tony said, waving Steve off.

"Some overseeing you're doing." Steve scowled.

"It's called multi-tasking, Cap." Tony's brow scrunched up for a moment, and then his eyes lit up. "Yes!"

For a moment, Steve's heart began to thud harder inside his chest. He recognized the feelings for what they were, and it made him feel uncomfortable. It happened every time he saw Tony smile and his brown eyes twinkle, and he did not understand why. Of all the Avengers in their team Tony was the one that he most butted heads with. Not to mention, Tony was Howard's _son_.

Steve had been attracted to Howard in the past. Who wouldn't be? The man had been so handsome and charismatic. Seeing Tony, Steve felt that he and Howard were very similar in many things, but Steve kept wondering... was it not extremely inappropriate to feel attraction to the son when you had also felt that way about the father?

"Oh, shit..."

Tony's almost panicked curse brought Steve out of his thoughts.

"What happened?"

"Nothing," Tony quickly replied. Too quickly.

"Are you hiding something again, Tony," Steve demanded angrily.

"Nothing Avenger-related," Tony said, as he began sliding and tapping on his phone like a madman, "I just don't think Thor will appreciate learning about this bag of cats."

"What are you talking about?" Steve growled, stomping over to grab the phone.

"Hey!" Tony protested when the gadget was swiped form his hands. Steve ignored him.

There were lots of diagrams and numbers on the screen, but nothing Steve could understand. Glaring at Tony, he asked, "What are you hiding from Thor?"

Tony appeared conflicted for a moment, but then said, "It's his heart-tattoo; the Asgardian equivalent of our heartsong. I was trying to crack the code, because it will give the name to Thor's soul mate."

"You're telling me you can read the fates?" Steve said in disbelief.

Tony sighed and ran a hand through his hair, messing it up. "I'm probably wrong anyway. It can't possibly be... no. I'm wrong."

"Of course you're wrong." Steve shook his head in exasperation. "No one can read the fates, Tony. Why don't you put your attention back to upgrading our gadgets. We'll be needing them next week."

"Right, Lagos. Next week."

Neither Steve nor Tony knew, but after Lagos nothing would ever be the same again.

* * *

TBC...


	6. Soul mate located

**Chapter 6: Soul mate located**

In Lagos, Wanda showed the world how little control she actually had over her powers. The world was angry. Angry at her for the deaths in Lagos. But also angry at the rest of the Avengers for what happened in Sokovia, in Johannesburg, in New York... For all the destruction that was caused, all the deaths brought by these great powers, the people demanded accountability: thus, the Sokovia Accords were born.

The Sokovia Accords were the brainchild of King T'Chaka of Wakanda. Made to control the Avengers, they were supported by 117 countries and backed by the United Nations.

They left the team divided.

While Tony saw the Accords as a reasonable first step towards regulation that still needed a fair amount of amendments, Steve did not share his vision. In his eyes, the Accords were red tape that needed to be off the table. The team argued and argued for hours, but no solution came in sight.

Then, Steve received a text message and left.

It was only a few minutes after Steve had gone, that Tony himself received a call and came to know why Steve had departed so hastily: Aunt Peggy had died in her sleep. Tony quickly departed the Compound, followed by Natasha.

At the funeral, rather than taking a seat with the other mourners, Tony lingered in the hall.

Natasha, also staying behind, shot him a funny look. "Why aren't you joining them, Tony?" she asked him.

Tony gave her an awkward smile and shrugged. "I don't think Steve will appreciate being in my presence right now. But never mind me, why are you here?"

"I don't think Steve wants to be alone right now," Natasha replied.

They were silent as the funeral service commenced.

Tony listened with only half an ear to the songs and the eulogies as memories of Aunt Peggy washed over him. Tony had always liked Peggy. She was strict on the surface, but underneath she had been a free spirited woman, and she had always been gentle and kind to him. Tony had never understood how Aunt Peggy had become friends with his father.

It wasn't until he heard Steve's name that Tony snapped out of his thoughts. He heard how Steve was asked to sing Aunt Peggy's favorite song, something old from the 40s. Steve consented.

And when the man out of time hit the first notes of the ballad, Tony's world was flipped upside down.

xxx

He'd wanted to tell Steve right then and there, but it hadn't felt like the right time.

Steve's first great love had just died. Aunt Peggy had just been buried. It was inappropriate.

No, Tony decided, now was definitely not the right time.

Not to mention, there were the Accords to worry about.

Tony took a deep breath and with great effort he put the matter on the back burner. Work first. Relationships later.

 _I'll tell him after that mess with the Accords is solved,_ Tony thought. _When things have settled and calmed down a bit._

xxx

Things never got to settle down.

In Siberia, Tony was struck down and left behind.

* * *

TBC...


	7. Reflections

**Chapter 7: Reflections**

He really hoped that Tony did not take everything that had happened too hard. It really wasn't Tony's fault that he'd been hit, but after all these years, he knew the guy inside out, and knew that Tony was prone to take the blame on himself.

Usually Rhodey would be the one to assure Tony, tell him to pull his head out of his ass and cheer up; but right now, he did not feel like he had the strength to do so.

 _Yup... definitely don't have the strength..._ Rhodey thought, as another dose of morphine was administered to him.

He was down under a few seconds later.

xxx

Outside, Vision was keeping vigilant watch over Colonel Rhodes.

At the moment there was a quandary going through the android's head that he could not solve. He had been made with a superior intelligence, but even he did not understand how feel hurt without having experienced pain.

When Wanda had send him down through those ten floors of the Compound, he had been unharmed.

And yet, every time he thought about that moment, something hurt inside his chest.

It was utterly confusing.

Just as the events began to play out once more in his mind's eye, Vision received a distress signal from FRIDAY:

Mr. Stark was missing.

xxx

With a hoodie over her head and glasses covering her face to hide her identity, Natasha went inside a bar to grab a drink.

Thinking back on the events at the airport and the conversation immediately following thereafter, Natasha knew that she had done Tony wrong.

She had been so conflicted about what to do... Every time she chose mission over feelings, people got hurt. Her soul mate had committed suicide before she had even been given a chance to let her know about their soul bond. Bruce had left as well.

And now she had chosen her feelings over mission, and people had STILL gotten hurt.

There was so much red in her ledger; and even though she tried - she really, really tried - to repent and repent and repent again, it was always wrong. She was always on the wrong side.

Was there no way for her to win at this?

As she was sipping her drink, a woman with long blond hair and a guy who appeared slightly scruffy to the eye came to sit beside her. Obviously, Natasha had not been inconspicuous enough.

"Hi," the woman said holding up her drink. "I heard about what happened at Leipzig. How are you holding up?"

"Well enough," Natasha replied. She clinked her glass against the other's. "And you? Bobbi." Turning her eye, she acknowledged the man, "Hunter. You two doing well, after what happened in Russia?"

A small smirk graced Bobbi's lips. "Splendid. Just got rid of an FBI-agent trying to tail us." She leaned forward, conspiratorially, and Natasha leaned in to meet her halfway. "You want to join us while we're on the run?" she heard the Mockingbird whisper to her, her breath tickling against her ear.

Natasha had never had real family. SHIELD, for a while, had provided her something, but when Steve and Natasha had uncovered HYDRA underneath, Natasha had destroyed it all with her own hands. She had been struck hard by it all, but the Avengers had provided a measure of safety and warmth afterwards. Now, that too was gone.

She was on the run, with nowhere to go, and these two were in the same boat. Could she possibly build something new with them?

 _Yes_ , she thought, _even if I am going to be on the list of Most Wanted, I want to try again. I want something I can call home._

She accepted the invitation.

xxx

Clint was angry. So angry in fact, that he thought he might actually turn green.

He wasn't thinking clearly. Hadn't been ever since Steve had dropped that bomb on him. That Tony had been trying to imprison a brainwashed Bucky Barnes. _Had_ been imprisoning Wanda in the Compound. Even though Tony knew damn well how Clint felt about those things.

He was still affected every fucking day by the way Loki had messed with his brains, so he knew what Barnes needed. Treatment, a lot of treatment - not imprisonment!

Then there was Wanda. Why the hell had Tony locked _her_ up? Shit! It made no goddamn sense! Wanda's brother, Pietro, had saved Clint's life. It was just wrong to do this to the sister of the guy who had died saving Clint's life, just completely wrong!

And now they were all locked in the Raft, because of that asshole, Tony!

He already missed his wife and kids...

Clint knew he wasn't thinking clearly, but he just couldn't sort out his thoughts. As he stewed inside his cell, he wished that he had the powers to Hulk out like Bruce Banners.

xxx

Wanda, like Clint, was stewing inside her cell.

Though she had clenched her teeth and worked together with Tony as an Avenger (it wasn't as difficult, since Tony had not been on the field after Sokovia), she had never quite forgiven him for the fact that his bomb had killed her family. And it was his killer robot, Ultron, that had killed her brother.

Granted, she and Pietro had been a part of Ultron's creation, but...

... but she could not let it go!

Her old family was gone because of Tony. And now her new family, the Avengers, were ripped apart because of Tony as well. And just as she had been locked inside the Compound, now she was locked inside the Raft.

She hated Tony, she could not forgive him. She hated him, she could not let go.

Like a vicious circle, Wanda was stuck, unable to move forward.

xxx

Sam had never known Tony very well. He had mostly hung out with the Cap, because Steve had been Sam's friend. Sam only knew Tony through Steve.

His impressions of the man were ambivalent, as there were various conflicting images running around.

On the one hand, Tony seemed like an irresponsible guy, always flippant with his responses, and often cracking jokes. Steve said so often enough, and Sam could confirm it, because he had seen this behavior from Tony first hand at various get-togethers.

But on the other hand, sometimes Tony turned around and did something that made him a totally great guy. There was the fact that the guy provided gadgets for the team and the Compound. Sure, Tony Stark was practically swimming in his money, but he still took out the time and effort to upgrade their gear and invent neat stuff for all of them, including Sam's precious Redwing. That had to count for something, right?

There was also the fact that Tony signed the Sokovia Accords, demanding accountability because he was able to see his own faults as a superhero. While Sam hesitated to agree with the contents of the Accords and what hey all represented in the end, he appreciated Tony for his introspectiveness on his own shortcomings and his willingness to do something about them.

Not every man was able to face their weakness and come to terms with themselves in this manner. It was admirable.

So, while Tony was not always reliable, Sam could not really believe that the man was a bad guy. Flawed and fallible, perhaps. But with a good heart... right?

He had made the right choice to entrust Steve's location to Tony, right?

Sam was doubting his own actions, but right now he really wanted to believe in Tony.

xxx

Steve had felt elated upon walking away with Bucky. His best friend was safe and sound back in his arms after all these decades.

For a moment, Steve felt like kissing his friend, but... that would be inappropriate.

Looking back on that moment when he had kissed Sharon, it also seemed inappropriate now. He had not thought too deeply about it at the time, as he desperately wanted to be consoled after Peggy's funeral, but she was Peggy's grand-niece and he had kissed her so soon after Peggy's funeral.

It was wrong. Steve knew it now, but... well, there was nothing he could do about it. He just had to march on as always.

Outside, T'Challa was standing. It appeared that the Black Panther had followed them. Steve felt wary about the king, until he saw Zemo safely apprehended beside him; T'Challa already knew that Zemo was the true murderer of his father.

"Where is Stark?" T'Challa asked him.

"He's... cooling down," Steve replied. "It's alright, he has his AI to make a distress call and send a plane here."

They boarded the plane, ready to leave Siberia behind.

It was when they were already in the air, that Steve felt it.

Something was wrong. Very wrong.

He'd already known something was wrong when he had been inside that HYDRA facility. The heartsong had suddenly spiked with turmoil and grown extremely erratic, but Steve hadn't had the time to listen to it then, because Tony had suddenly flipped and gone off on him. It was Zemo's fault, of course; if he hadn't shown Tony that video...

Steve's entire body stiffened and as a shaky breath escaped his lungs.

Why was the heartsong so soft? And growing fainter by the second?

"Steve, are you alright?" Bucky asked.

And Steve sank down to his knees.

"I can't... I can't hear it anymore," he choked out.

* * *

TBC...


	8. Aftermath

**Chapter 8: Aftermath**

When Tony finally awoke from his nightmare with a scream, he found himself lying in a hospital bed, all kinds of needles and other entrapments stuck in his body, wires and machines everywhere. He didn't feel much of anything though, which probably was the fault of all that morphine pumped inside his body. Looking around, he found himself in a SHIELD hospital facility, his oldest friend in a bed next to him.

"I requested to be transferred here," said Rhodey, by way of explanation. "I... wanted to watch over you."

Tony was about to say something back when the door was opened, and someone he thought he would not see again came in.

"You're very lucky, Tony."

Phil Coulson. The man who was supposedly dead, until he wasn't.

"Why aren't you buried in a casket yet? Or at least hiding in in a bunker, since SHIELD is supposed to be this underground movement now? Not that you're doing such a good job of it, but-"

"Don't joke, Tony, you almost died," Phil scolded.

"So, did you," Tony pointed out. "Actually, you did kind of die, but then you were somehow revived through this Project TAHITI. I still haven't gotten to crack the files that'd tell me **how** you managed to be revived after being dead for **days** , but here we are, both of us alive."

"Project TAHITI is none of your business." Phil pulled out a chair and sat down. "But, if you're accusing me of dying and then coming back to life, then I have to retort with 'pot'."

For a moment, Tony blinked. "Pot? Don't tell me 'pot' as in 'pot calling the kettle black'-pot?"

"Exactly that pot," Phil confirmed.

"I..." Tony felt the air press together inside his lungs. "I... died?" he choked out.

"For two hours in fact,"Phil elaborated. "Luckily, you were saved by Extremis; it's a good thing you had that shrapnel removed from your body. And you should thank Vision. He managed to get you out of Siberia and brought you here."

"Great to know," Tony said. "Can I have the moment to myself now?"

"Sure. I'll inform Dr. Cho that you were awake."

When the man had left, Tony fell back against his pillows and sighed. "Thank you for staying here with me, Rhodey," he muttered.

And with that, he promptly passed out again.

xxx

Those first few days, Tony wondered how Steve, his own soul mate, could have done something like this to him. Granted, Steve didn't know yet that Tony was his other half, but still... to lay a hand on another human being in this manner? To kill another human being?

Tony had wanted to kill Bucky, yes. He had been so out of it after seeing that video... those images... that he had wanted to kill his parents' murderer who was standing right next to him.

Maybe it was because Tony had tried to kill Bucky, that Steve wanted to kill Tony.

But he hadn't killed Bucky.

And Steve was a Super Soldier. He could have easily controlled his strength to such an extent that there was only enough damage done to de-power the suit, but instead... Instead he had smashed into Tony's chest as hard as he could, not caring for Tony's life.

Obviously, Tony's friendship meant nothing to Steve next to what he had with Bucky.

But did Tony's life also mean nothing to him? Had he simply been an unimportant facet in Steve's life? Had he meant nothing at all to Steve?

It hurt deeply to be confronted with the truth, but Tony could not lie to himself forever.

xxx

It was quickly noted that Tony had PTSD. There was no way that he could hide the screaming with which he woke up every time, and it was concerning to both Rhodey, Phil Coulson and Helen Cho.

"You'll need therapy," Dr. Cho said.

"I know that," Tony replied, "that's why I developed the BARF."

"The BARF is not a substitute for a therapist."

"Not yet," Tony argued, "but it will be."

He went back to design the exoskeletal leg braces for Rhodey on his StarkPad, that Pepper and Vision had brought for him on one of their visits.

xxx

Three weeks later, Tony was recovered enough to be allowed to leave the SHIELD facility. He thanked Helen for all her hard work to help him, but when he wanted to do the same for Phil, the man was nowhere to be found.

"Is Coulson out on a mission?" Tony wondered out loud, as he wandered into a laboratory.

"Nah," a young man replied, "he's out trying to work around the Accords."

 _Leopold Fitz_ , Tony's mind supplied to him. _Scottish. Genius engineer. Must find a way to snatch him away from SHIELD in the future._

"Why does Coulson need to work around the Accords?" Tony asked. "They only involve the Avengers."

"The UN version does..." a young woman cut into the conversation, "but the United States is unilaterally making plans to also apply them to vigilantes and to people with superpowers: this includes enhanced humans, people born with extraordinary mutations, and those with the Inhuman gene. They're calling he expansion the Registration Acts."

 _Jemma Simmons. Genius bio-chemist,_ Tony thought, as he listened to the woman updating him on the newest developments in the political world. He instantly wanted to recruit her as well.

He put those thoughts to the back of his mind, and focused on the conversation at hand. "Well, I'm not gonna stand for that. I signed those Accords because I wanted the Avengers to be accountable for their actions, not because I want to have Nazi-practices reinvoked."

Tony sighed. He'd have to do something about this.

"Tell Coulson for me that I said 'thank you for everything'?" he asked the duo.

And he left to fetch Rhodey.

xxx

There was a lot on Tony's plate. Between his sessions with the BARF to alleviate his PTSD symptoms, Pepper and Rhodey's insistence that he find a real therapist (which, no thank you, he didn't want to unload himself on a total stranger), his attempts to torpedo the Registration Acts, his dealings Ross (whom he was secretly trying to get behind bars by leaking the General's dirty laundry on the internet), and the development of a more improved exoskeletal leg braces for Rhodey, there was no time left to rebuild what was left of the Avengers.

"Rhodey...?" he said.

"Yeah?" his friend answered him, as he practised his movements with the leg braces he was currently using.

"I think I'm gonna quit the Avengers."

Rhodey looked up sharply. "I know I say I'm worried for you, but are you sure? You love being Iron Man."

Tony chuckled. "I'm still Iron Man. I just think I fly better solo. Besides, there's not much left of us anyway."

Rhodey thought for a moment. "True... there's only you and me. Vision. Maybe the King of Wakanda; I mean, T'Challa wasn't officially invited to be part of the Avengers Initiative, but he did sign the Sokovian Accords..."

"You know what?" said Tony. "I don't mind that they bailed. I don't need any of 'em. I just need you. You and Vision. We could be the Three Flying Musketeers or something."

"I'm not sure if Vision is ready yet for new superhero duties," Rhodey commented. "He's still affected by what Wanda did. I think she, uh... broke his heart."

"Ah..." Tony gave a pained smile. "Poor kid. First love and his heart got broken. You're right, we should give Viz some time off. Have him get used to simply fitting in this world first; I mean, he never did get that chance since he first stepped foot into the world, did he?"

Rhodey let his eyes wander over Tony. "How about just you and me? As soon as I get the hang on these braces that is. We could be a duo. The Amazing Duos."

At that Tony laughed out loud. "That would be great! But Rhodey, your naming still sucks. Amazing Duos, really?"

"Hey, at least it's better than BARF!" Rhodey protested.

Tony snorted at that. "How about we call ourselves The Big Guns?"

xxx

When a letter from Steve arrived with an ancient looking cell phone, Tony wanted to take a hammer and smash it to pieces.

But then he remembered that this was his soul mate and he refrained.

He could not burn this last bridge. Not yet.

Because despite everything there was still something in him that cared for Steve.

xxx

It was after another nightmare that Tony decided to tell Rhodey what exactly had gone on in Siberia.

"I can't believe it! When you had gone to Sibaria without a word, we thought it was an emergency mission that had gone wrong or something. But now you're saying, _he_ was the one who did that to you? And he left you after that?"

"Yup." Tony nodded. They were sitting at the kitchen table, both a glass of scotch in front of them.

"That bastard!" Rhodey gritted his teeth. "And now? I know you haven't told anyone this. What did you tell the UN what happened in Siberia?"

"The UN doesn't know anything about Siberia," Tony said.

Rhodey gave him a confused look, and Tony explained:

"Steve and his precious Barnes aren't telling anyone. Zemo is playing mute. SHIELD also won't squeal, because I asked Coulson not to. Furthermore, I might have donated a good amount of money to their science division. As for Vision and Pepper, I told them not to tell anyone as well. And T'Challa doesn't know. He apprehended Zemo outside; and thanks to the dear Captain, he thinks I was simply 'cooling off' after having gone berserkers. Wakanda's King is not going to make a mountain out of a molehill, when he thinks Captain America and Iron Man are just having a little squabble.

"So, you see," Tony recounted, "no one knows. The UN thinks T'Challa was the one who had gone to Siberia to capture Zemo."

"So, you're letting him get away with this?! That's- That's just-!"

Rhodey was livid. Tony had never seen his friend so angry before.

"Calm down, Rhodey," said Tony. "Please. I'm doing this for Iron Man and for the public."

"How is this doing anything for Iron Man or the public?!" Rhodey yelled. "Most importantly, how is this doing anything for **you**!?"

"If the public came to know that Iron Man was beaten to death by a rogue Super Soldier, what do you think will happen, Rhodes? It will be mass hysteria. I can't afford that, not when the Registration Acts are looming over our heads. I need the public to have faith in Iron Man."

Rhodey narrowed his eyes measuringly. "Tony, I know you. Are you really not doing this for Steve?"

"I..." Tony bit his lip, a pained look etching into his eyes. "He's my soul mate Rhodey."

Rhodey almost fell off his chair. "WHAT!?"

"I know. It's fucked up."

"Have you told him that you were his mate?"

Tony shook his head. "How could I after what had happened?" He let out a bitter laugh.

"But then... when did you know?" Rhodey asked.

"During Aunt Peggy's funeral."

Rhodey shook his head and let his head fall into his hands. "I don't even... I don't know what to think of this. Your souls are meant for each other, but he almost kills you. What were the fates thinking to pair you with him of all people?"

"Probably that I'm the universe's butt-monkey."

"What are you going to do about this?"

Tony sighed. "I don't know."

Rhodey hesitated. He wasn't sure what to say to comfort his friend. There was no way out of this mess. _But then..._ he thought, _if anyone can solve a mess, it's Tony._

"Tony... normally, when people realise who their soul mates are, they tell them as soon as possible. The soul bond is the purest, most honest bond. I've never heard of a soul bond being hidden once it has been revealed to one half of a pair."

"Are you suggesting that I should tell him?" Tony asked incredulously.

"No." Rhodey shook his head. "Normally, your soul mate wouldn't have to attempted to kill you. So, I'm saying that there's nothing normal about this. Besides, you pick your BARF over a normal therapist, so tell me again how you always try to fit in with normal, eh, Tony?" He reached out and patted Tony on his arm. "I know you, you always manage to pick yourself up in the end. If anyone can find a way to deal with this, it's you."

xxx

After that conversation, Tony decided that Rhodey was right. He, Tony, had never adhered to being normal. He simply followed what he believed in.

What was his heart telling him right now?

It told him that he was hurting, it hurt that he had meant so little to Steve. It made him feel rejected, unworthy; a feeling that he already knew intimately from his past.

But more than that, his heart told him that Steve was not a good man. Steve was the kind of man who picked one friend over another. The kind of man who was willing to **kill** one friend for the sake of another. And he was the kind of man who would risk the safety of the entire world, for that single friend. Whether Steve was Tony's soulmate or not, that was simply not acceptable.

Deeply inside his heart, Tony found his answer.

 _A man with his character... is not the kind of man I want to bind my soul to._

Tony had decided. "Say FRIDAY?"

"Yes, Boss?"

"Has there ever been a soul mate rejected?"

It was silent for a moment, as the AI investigated over the internet.

"A priliminary search suggests that no such case exists, Boss."

"Huh, what do you know? I'll be the first."

"You're a trend-setter, Boss."

Tony smirked and grabbed the cellphone which Steve had send.

 _Rhodey says that the soul bond is the purest, most honest bond. Well, I can be honest._

xxx

Steve picked the phone up on the second ring. "Tony? Is there anything you need from us?"

"Hi Steve, so nice to hear from you from Wakanda. Say hi to the others for me."

Steve grimaced. "Tony, I didn't give you the phone so you could make social calls. It's for when you need us to come help."

"Sorry." Tony's voice suggested that he did not seem sorry at all. "But you did tell me once to never keep secrets from you, so I thought I should let you know something."

Steve rolled his eyes at the other man's temper. He was probably going to unload anger on Steve over the phone. Well, Steve did not have to put up with that.

He was about to hang up, when the melody hit him. It was his soul mate. Singing to him.

 _ **"Look inside... Look inside your tiny mind... Now look a bit harder."**_

Tony was singing to him. His soul mate was Tony.

 _ **"Cause I'm so uninspired... So sick and tired... of all the arrogance you harbor..."**_

Steve's breath was caught inside his throat as he listened to the other sing. But to his trepidation, his soul mate was not making a love confession to him. No, this was a song of rejection.

 _ **"Fuck you... Fuck you very, very much... Cause I hate what you do... And I hate your whole crew... So please don't stay in touch..."**_

It was only after Tony was halfway through the song that Steve finally refound his voice.

"Tony," he said, but the other man did not stop.

 _ **"Do you get... Do you get a little kick... Out of being small minded... You want me to be like my father... It's his replacement you're after..** **."**_

"Tony, please," Steve tried, but Tony continued to sing undaunted.

 _ **"You say... You think we're in a Civil War... Well you're who started this one..."**_

"Tony, it wasn't my intention to-"

But Tony began to sing louder to overpower his voice. When he had finished his song, he cut off the line.

The phone fell from Steve's grip.

xxx

When Tony was done, he did not use the hammer on the phone. It was not worth it. He gave the phone to Dum-E to use as scrap metal.

* * *

End of PART 1; TBC...

 _Credit for Tony's song goes to Lily Allen, who sung the original; and Suprise_Beta at AO3 for giving me the idea to use this specific song in my fic._


	9. Interlude I

**Chapter 9: Interlude I**

The next two days after Tony's phone call passed by Steve Rogers in a daze.

Tony had rejected him... His soul mate had rejected him...

The thoughts and the memory of that phone call kept on repeating in his head in an endless loop.

He could not believe that his own soul mate had rejected him.

The heartsong was not doing anything to alleviate his troubles either. Instead of the chipper tune it had sung when he had first awoken from the ice, or the melancholic notes after the debacle in New York, it was now a litany of accusations and outright rejection.

A litany of incessant rejections that was continuously heard over and over again without pausing.

It was utter torture.

His team mates and fellow fugitives worried for him, but he hardly noticed.

On the third day, Steve began to think more constructively.

What was he going to do now?

What could he do?

Well, at least he could agree with himself that **something** had to be done about this. It wasn't right, after all. This whole thing wasn't natural; a soul mate was not supposed to reject their other half. Such a thing was simply unheard of!

Even when soul mates had previously wronged each other in some form or manner (which, although extremely rare, **had** been recorded in history before), those slights were always brushed aside because the love for the other half was too strong for such pettiness to come in-between. Love and forgiveness always prevailed.

Steve sighed deeply.

In the time that he had known Tony, the man had always been unpredictable. Though Tony and Steve had become friends after the alien invasion in New York, the man had never earned Steve's trust, because Steve had always thought of Tony as unreliable and sometimes even downright unstable. Well, his distrust had now proven to be well-founded. Here was the indisputable proof of Tony's unstableness: a rejection of their soul bond.

Steve gritted his teeth.

Something had to happen.

He was NOT going to allow Tony Stark destroy their soul bond.

Not after he had finally been given this chance after seventy years in the ice!

When Steve looked up from his pensive thoughts, the TV which had been running an episode of an old soap opera was suddenly interrupted by an urgent news report. There was a flicker of 'Breaking News' boldly splashed across the TV screen as Tony Stark, who looked tired but determined, made his way up to a podium.

Steve sat up straighter.

What was Tony doing?

Steve did not have to wait long to find out.

After a short opening comment, Tony dove right into the heart of the matter he wanted to make public:

"I'm here today to announce the official disbandment of the superhero team known as the Avengers."

What the hell was this!?

Steve's breath caught in his throat as he listened to Tony's announcement.

Was Tony really so spiteful has to destroy the Avengers after Steve had entrusted them to him to take care of?

Unaware of the thoughts running through the Captain's mind, Tony kept talking:

"Steven Grant Rogers, Samuel Thomas Wilson, Wanda Maximoff, Clinton Francis Barton, and Natalia Alianovna Romanoff are fugitives of the law who, due to their recent actions, can no longer rightly call themselves superheroes. As the current leader of the Avengers, I therefore oust them from the team. Of the remaining members... well, the Black Panther has never formally become an Avenger, Thor and the Hulk are MIA, Colonel Rhodes is still recovering from his injuries, and Vision wishes to retire. This leaves me as the sole active member, which... you can't call that much of a team, right?"

There was uncomfortable laughter from the audience at this remark, but Tony continued without pause:

"As Iron Man I will continue my work to protect the people on this planet with all the resources available to me, and Colonel Rhodes, known in public as War Machine, has agreed to join me as soon as his condition allows it. So, without further ado, I'd hereby like to introduce our superhero duo, which will henceforth be known under the banner as 'The Big Guns'."

The was a welcoming applause upon the announcement of the new superhero duo, but Tony had not yet finished his speech.

"I'm aware," he said, "that the break up of the Avengers invalidates the Sokovia Accords, and that this may worry the various countries which have signed these Accords. This is why I call for renewed negotiations between superheroes and the United Nations. We need regulations on superhero work to keep us superheroes accountable. We need new accords. What we don't need is to reenact World War Two by introducing discriminatory laws that require civilians with extraordinary mutations, enhancements, or the Inhuman gene to be registered, have fingerprints and DNA samples taken from them, or otherwise have invasive practices and legislation placed upon them that violate the universal human rights as stipulated by the UN. It is for this reason that I'd like to introduce two new frameworks. The first is the Anonymous Schooling Program for Super-powered People, or as I call it: A-SP2. This program allows super-powered civilians to learn to control their powers in a safe, controlled environment and ensure their proper integration into human society. The second framework I'd like to introduce is the Superhero Accords. The Superhero Accords will be the groundwork to regulate superhero duties, accountability, and—pay attention, Thaddeus Ross—superhero rights."

Unbelievable!

As if the Sokovian Accords weren't enough... as if breaking the Avengers apart, slandering the names of his former team members, and now disbanding them altogether wasn't enough... now Tony wants to add even **more** red tape!

Steve watched Tony's speech with growing disbelief and anger.

"Having worked in a superhero team before, I know from personal experience, that superheroes, like all people, have individual wants and needs; I find it thus impossible to fit all superheroes under the exact same rules. For this reason, I envision the Superhero Accords as a basis on which individual superhero contracts can be formed in the future; for each superhero an individual contract that will address the personal concerns of said superhero."

An approving murmur rustled through the crowd at the announcement of the two new frameworks. Tony raised a hand to recall the public's attention.

"The two frameworks are still in preliminary stages," he said, then, cocking his head, added with a studied flippancy; "also, judging by the sudden outburst of anger, it seems that Captain Asshole is yet again rejecting things out of hand before knowing what they're about. Anyway, in honor of the late-King of Wakanda, who was a prominent supporter of the Sokovian Accords, I'd like to invite King T'Challa to be a part in developing the A-SP2 and Superhero Accords frameworks before they'll be presented to the UN for negotiations. That's all."

When the speech ended, the TV returned to dramatic scene of a delicate dame crying beside her terminally ill husband's bed, leaving Steve to contemplate how Tony could so coolly brush aside the displeasure he heard in Steve's heartsong for him, while Steve was literally tortured by the rejection he felt from Tony.

There had to be something wrong with Tony!

Steve stopped his mulling thoughts when he stumbled upon a epiphany.

Of course! There **was** something wrong with Tony!

Steve had known something was wrong with his soul mate since New York, when the song had first drastically changed. That was when Tony... had fought aliens... and fell out of the sky...

Thinking quick on his feet, Steve thought of all the other things that he knew had happened to Tony and how that had affected the heartsong.

 _It has been erratic and melancholic since New York. Then there was this outburst that happened some time ago that coincided with... one of Tony's homes being destroyed... I saw this on the news; that was the Mandarin. Again, a spike while we were on that mission... right before the Hulk ran rampage in Johannesburg; he must have been scared of what an uncontrollable monster like Hulk could do. Then a big dip not long after we defeated Ultron; probably regret for his hand in creating that monster. There was this flip-flop while I was attending Peggy's funeral; he must have been worrying about the Accords. Small continuous spikes just before Bucky and I were apprehended in Bucharest... when Zemo had messed with Bucky and broken free the Winter Soldier... right until that big one in Leipzig; when War Machine fell out of the sky there. Then lastly... that big outburst followed by those two hours of silence... Siberia; he'd seen that video of the Winter Soldier and his parents._

The spikes and dips in the heartsong coincided with those events. In-between the song held a strange amalgam of emotions dominated by overtones of fear, anger, and sadness.

Without a doubt, Steve suddenly realized, Tony was suffering from PTSD.

 _This must be the reason why he's behaving so irrationally,_ Steve thought.

His mind wandered back to his conversation with Bucky right before his friend was put back on ice.

"I know you're worried about him, punk," Bucky had said.

Steve had sighed in defeat. "Something is very, very wrong, Bucky. The song was **gone**. It was gone for **two hours**. I don't know what to do..."

"Find him," his friend had told him. "Find him and help him. You can do it, Steve. Even if the odds are stacked against you, you always bulldoze through them, so I believe in you."

Even though it had seemed pointless, finding his own soul mate between all the millions and millions of souls, he had promised Bucky then and there that he would find his one.

Well, he had found Tony. Now he had to help the man.

 _I have to fix him so he can see reason,_ Steve thought, forgetting in that moment his previous conviction that humans aren't robots and can't be simply fixed of their problems.

He packed his bags and left Wakanda.

He did not know it yet, but his help was unwanted.

While Steve had set his mind on mending the soul bond, Tony was already doing everything he could to find a way to destroy it.

* * *

TBC...


	10. Interlude II

**Chapter 10: Interlude II**

When T'Challa went after Tony Stark to Siberia, he witnessed what destruction from within meant.

Hatred and anger. The need for vengeance. He saw these emotions reflected in Tony's eyes. In Zemo's actions. And inside himself. Emotions that were so powerful that they could bring even heroes onto their knees.

And so T'Challa decided in that moment to let go of it. Let go of the anger. Of the hatred. Of vengeance. All those negative emotions which had almost destroyed him, T'Challa left behind along with the heroes who were fighting it out among themselves, for he could no longer bear to be a part of that.

He went outside in the freezing Siberian weather to reflect on the things that he had done wrong while wallowing inside the negativity, and how he could make things better.

He'd done Barnes wrong; that man had not killed his father. His penance would be to protect that man then, to provide Barnes with amnesty, because surely Barnes was going to need it after this episode.

T'Challa almost felt like grimacing.

Stark would certainly not be happy if ever he found out what T'Challa was planning to do. And Stark was going to find out all too quickly, because that man was too clever for his own good. T'Challa could only hope that Stark's fury would have quelled enough by then for him to see that Barnes was as much a victim of HYDRA as his parents had been, because, even though T'Challa's relationship with Stark was one purely based on work and forced circumstances, T'Challa did not want to see their relationship be soured so shortly after they met.

And then there was Zemo...

When Zemo came outside T'Challa did not kill the man who had been responsible for the death of his father. No, T'Challa would no longer bow down to anger, hatred and vengeance. He apprehended Zemo instead, just as the man was about to commit suicide, and forced him to face justice.

When Captain America and Barnes finally came out, T'Challa was relieved to see that they were alright. But what about...?

"Where is Stark?" he asked.

"He's... cooling down," Steve replied. "It's alright, he has his AI to make a distress call and send a plane here."

Hearing that everything was in order T'Challa's troubled thoughts were allayed. His fear that things would spin out of control had been unfounded. Even though Tony Stark might have been so angry that he had wanted to kill Barnes (and T'Challa understood this blind fury for he had felt the same until very recently), Steve Rogers had still been of sound mind; and surely, Rogers must have taken the appropriate measures to take down the Iron Man suit so Stark could calm down.

Stark needed the time to calm down and heal. To work through the shock and grief at losing his parents all over again.

"I see," T'Challa said. "Let us board the plane then."

They took off and left Siberia.

xxx

It wasn't until two days later that a niggling of doubt began to surface in T'Challa's mind, when his information network informed him that Vision had dropped the Iron Man off in a SHIELD facility.

Had he made the right call to leave Stark behind in Siberia?

For what reason would Stark need to be at a SHIELD facility?

xxx

When Captain America broke his team mates out of the Raft, T'Challa felt apprehensive about taking them in. It was one thing to provide amnesty to Barnes; he owed the man after trying to kill him. But the rest of them...

Then again, he couldn't just turn his back on these people when they had nowhere to go.

"There are conditions," he said, and he already knew that his sister, Shuri, would disapprove of his decision to allow them to stay.

The conditions were as followed. First of all, the team was not allowed do any superhero work, as they had not signed the Sokovia Accords, so this could implicate Wakanda, impacting Wakanda's image as staunch supporter of the Sokovia Accords. Secondly, the team's communications would be screened. Thirdly, they could not leave Wakanda without T'Challa's explicit approval. And forth, if they did leave Wakanda, they could not return.

The Captain met T'Challa's conditions easily enough, but it only served to send T'Challa's instincts into a frenzy.

xxx

During one of the screenings of his visitors' communications a cell phone with a note that was to be send to Stark was found.

As T'Challa read the Captain's short letter, he felt for some reason uneasy, but he let the package be sent off to the Avengers' compound anyway (after tampering with the cellphone to intercept its conversations, which he hoped that Stark would let slide). There was nothing outright incriminating in that package, and he could understand Rogers' wish to extend the olive branch to Stark.

He shook those thoughts off. There were more important things he had to deal with right now than Rogers and Stark's relationship.

He went to the labs, where the scientists were readying themselves to cryogenically freeze Barnes. Just as he was about to enter the labs, T'Challa caught the tail end of a private conversation between the two old timers.

"I know you're worried about him, punk," Barnes was saying.

Rogers seemed troubled. "Something is very, very wrong, Bucky. The song was **gone**. It was gone for **two hours**. I don't know what to do..."

Ah, yes, they were talking about that. Rogers' heartsong had stopped for two hours straight, during their flight from Siberia to Wakanda where Barnes was to be dropped off. Witnessing Rogers breaking down in front of him, T'Challa could hardly imagine what it was like to no longer hear his own heartsong, and he was glad for the Captain that his song had returned, although he found it extremely unusual that this had happened. As far as T'Challa knew the heartsong only stopped in death. If the soul mates had not consummated their bond when death struck, silence would haunt the surviving half until the end of their life. But if consummation _had_ taken place... well, where one goes, the other always follows... that was how the bond worked.

Barnes tried to encourage the Captain. "Find him. Find him and help him. You can do it, Steve. Even if the odds are stacked against you, you always bulldoze through them, so I believe in you."

Rogers seemed to think for a moment, before he let out an exhale. "Alright, Buck', I'll do it. I'll find him."

And T'Challa finally understood where his unease with Rogers had come from.

He had promised T'Challa that he would stay in Wakanda. And yet now he was promising his friend that he would leave.

Steve Rogers could say things without batting an eye, changing breathing patterns, or any other signs of discomfort. Either Rogers was a better liar than the infamous Black Widow or he did not even notice his own hypocrisies.

xxx

When Rogers received his first phone call from Stark, T'Challa was there to listen in on the conversation. He wondered silently, if Stark had deliberately left the phone tapping mechanism in place as he had hoped, or if Stark had really not noticed the tampering done with the phone, before quickly deciding on the former.

As T'Challa had predicted, Tony Stark already knew of his former team members' whereabouts.

It was painful to hear Stark's rejection of Rogers, but T'Challa understood Stark's anger and pain. He would likely have reacted in a similar fashion if one of his trusted people had stayed silent on something as important as the death of his parents. Even though Rogers had done it out of cowardice rather than malice, it was still nothing less than betrayal.

He could not blame Stark for the harsh words, but he was worried on behalf of Rogers. The way that man was walking around like a ghost after that phone call, it seemed as if he had fallen into a depression. Rogers was supposed to be the leader of his team of fugitives, and yet he was making his friends feel anxious for him.

T'Challa thought that the man who had been a national hero for over seventy years should be more resilient than this.

It wasn't until Tony Stark gave his speech on live television three days later that T'Challa finally understood why the Captain had fallen into such a downward spiral over a simple tongue lashing.

Stark was disbanding the Avengers, introducing his new superhero duo, and then introducing two new forms of legislation. T'Challa was pleased to hear that Tony Stark pro-actively engaged in creating a new set of Accords for regulations on superhero work, when Tony seemed to slightly cock his head and then make the oddest of remarks:-

"... also, judging by the sudden outburst of anger, it seems that Captain Asshole is yet again rejecting things out of hand before knowing what they're about."

What in the name of all panthers did that mean?

So caught up in the strangeness of that sentence was T'Challa that he almost missed the next words:-

"Anyway, in honor of the late-King of Wakanda, who was a prominent supporter of the Sokovian Accords, I'd like to invite King T'Challa to be a part in developing the A-SP2 and Superhero Accords frameworks before they'll be presented to the UN for negotiations. That's all."

Well. That was really nice to hear. That Stark was still willing to work with him, even though the man knew that T'Challa was extending amnesty to Barnes and to Stark's former team members. It surprised T'Challa that Stark could be so tolerant, and, from the few interactions he'd had before with the man, T'Challa felt that the way the media usually sketched Stark did him no justice. Stark was better than they made him out to be.

His thoughts went back to the odd comment the billionaire had made.

It was clearly aimed at Rogers, whom he had derided as 'Captain Asshole'. But what did he mean by 'judging by the sudden outburst of anger'? What outburst? Certainly he wouldn't know about Rogers having an anger outburst here in Wakanda unless he had some sort of telepathic link to...

And then Stark's song flashed through T'Challa's mind. And Rogers' sudden spiral into depression.

Surely not...?

Surely not those two...?

xxx

Later that day, T'Challa was informed by Shuri that Steve Rogers had left Wakanda.

"I told you this was a mistake," she chastised him.

T'Challa felt a headache coming up.

* * *

TBC...


	11. PT2 Broken Chains, Surprises

PART 2: Broken Chains

 **Chapter 11: Surprises**

"Boss? You a have a phone call from-"

"Put it on hold, FRIDAY."

Tony exhaled loudly before slamming his head onto the table with a theatrical groan.

"What seems to be the matter, Mr. Stark?"

"Ugh, just... SHUT UP!"

"I-I'm sorry...?"

"Not you, Vision." Tony turned his head until he could see the android, his cheek still plastered against the wooden surface of the table. "It's Rogers who won't shut up."

"Mr. Rogers?" The android blinked in incomprehension. "Mr. Rogers is not at the Compound, sir."

"I know he isn't. I'm talking about his stupid whining inside my head."

Blinking again, Vision turned off the heat of the kitchen stove. "I do not believe I understand what you're saying, Mr. Stark."

"Right. I hadn't told you about it yet." Tony sat straight back up. "Apparently, the fates decided it was a good idea to pair me up with Captain Asshole. The guy sings my heartsong."

Vision was quiet for a moment. Then, he simply said, "I see." He took the pan off the stove and went to the cupboard to take out a large mug.

A bit disappointed, Tony pressed his lips into a childish pout. "I see? Just that? How about a little compassion here, Viz."

"I cannot show empathy for something that I have no frame of reference of." The android carefully poured his latest culinary experiment from the pan into the mug. "Though, I imagine it must be quite noisy to constantly hear someone else inside your mind."

Tony frowned. "No frame of reference? Vision, do you not hear anyone singing?"

"I believe my lack of a heartsong stems from the fact that I was not born the way everyone else was, Mr. Stark."

Pulling out the whipped cream, Vision placed a big dollop on top of the steaming liquid letting it slowly melt. He placed the mug in front of Tony, who took the offering with a smile on his face.

"I didn't know that you had no heartsong," Tony commented, taking a sip from the mug. The hot chocolate was a bit too sweet, but Tony thought that Vision's first attempt was charming nonetheless.

He was about to get a slice of cake to go with the drink, when he heard a voice in his head. It wasn't Steve.

 _"Perhaps you should pick up the phone, Mr. Stark."_

"The fuck!?"

Tony whipped his head around, but there was only him and Vision in the room. The android was giving him a concerned look, but Tony ignored it.

"Am I going mad here or is someone tampering with my head?"

 _"I can assure you, apart from the case of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder that you seem the be suffering from, you are perfectly sound of mind. If you will please pick up the phone, Mr. Stark; I would like to discuss a few things with you."_

Tony was feeling decidedly out of his depth, but he could not deny his curiosity getting the better of him. Who was this creepy voice invading his mind?

"FRIDAY, pick up the phone call for me, please."

"Yes, Boss."

The screen on the left wall flickered on to reveal a man sitting in a wheelchair.

"Hello, Mr. Stark," the man said. "My name is Charles Xavier and I'm a telepath. I'm calling you because I'm interested in your Anonymous Schooling Program for Super-powered People..."

xxx

 _ **Far, far away from the Compound**_

Waking up with a major headache, and his clothes completely ruined, he was surprised to find a familiar face peering down at him.

"Thor...?"

"You have traveled very far from home, Bruce Banner."

* * *

TBC...


	12. Angry Witch

**Chapter 12: Angry Witch**

While Captain America and his team had been residing in Wakanda, T'Challa took note of their characters and the conversations they held among themselves. He admitted that he was breeching their privacy by spying on them, but he felt no guilt for his actions. He had promised them amnesty because they had nowhere to go; he had never given the team a guarantee that they would not be surveyed in Wakanda.

 _Besides,_ he reasoned with himself, _their actions have made them international criminals. They are wanted in Nigeria for the Lagos-incident, in Germany for the destruction of their airport, and Romania for the Winter Soldier-chase... not to mention that helicopter crash..._

Later, T'Challa would tell himself that it was for the good of the world that he took them in anyway. Rather than having them completely off the radar, it was better that he kept an eye on them.

And he had been right to monitor the group.

One of the ex-Avengers, especially, was showing disconcerting behavior in his opinion: Wanda Maximoff.

The way Ms. Maximoff spoke of Stark held a resentment that T'Challa knew only too well from his own previous feelings towards the Winter Soldier. The young woman felt wronged by the billionaire; she blamed Stark and she wanted revenge on him.

He knew that this was not going to end well, if it was allowed to continue festering.

Before he went to meet with Tony Stark for the Superhero Accords, followed by a trip to visit Helmut Zemo for a personal interrogation, he decided to have a talk with the Witch about the issue at hand.

"How do you feel about Anthony Stark?" he tentatively asked her.

Wanda gave him a raised eyebrow. "After what that man did to us?" She scoffed. "I **hate** him."

T'Challa regarded the woman quietly for a moment. Then, he put on his most disarming demeanor, before poking deeper into her troubling thoughts. "Forgive me for my curiosity, but I can't help noticing that your hatred towards Stark runs much deeper than that of your fellow teammates..."

"That's because he was responsible for my family's death." A pained look flashed across the witch, before she covered it up with anger. " **His** weapons destroyed my home. It killed my grandmother... my grandfather... my mother. **His** monster, Ultron, killed Pietro!"

Red sparks began to flash around her, making T'Challa's hair stand on end. But he did not back down.

"Stark's father was a weapons manufacturer. He inherited what his father gave him and changed it."

"It's too late," Wanda said, shaking her head. "He may have stopped producing weapons, but it won't bring me back my mother or my grandparents. Besides," she reiterated, "Ultron killed my brother."

"Ultron was a monster," T'Challa agreed, "but I don't see how that is connected to Stark."

"It's **his** monster. He created it."

T'Challa frowned. "I don't believe a man like Anthony Stark would create something like that. If he did, it would make no sense for him to have joined the Avengers who stopped Ultron."

Wanda hesitated for a moment. Then, she whispered: "He didn't make Ultron on purpose..."

"You're saying he made Ultron by mistake?" T'Challa questioned. "If it was a mistake, then can you not find it in yourself to forgive him?"

"Even if it was a mistake, the cost of Pietro's life is too high a price," said Wanda.

"Then... what would you do if you saw Stark again?"

Her eyes flashed in anger. "I'd kill him."

"You'd really take your revenge like that?" T'Challa asked.

"Yes," she answered.

T'Challa nodded, his heart heavy and cold. "I see." He stood up and Wanda watched him as he left her room.

Before he passed the door, he said to her: "Come to my office at Thursday 4PM. There's something you need to know."

* * *

TBC...


	13. Wheelchairs and exoskeletal leg braces

**Chapter 13: Wheelchairs and exoskeletal leg braces**

"Ah, welcome, Professor!" said Tony, when Charles arrived at one of the smaller conference rooms of Stark Tower. "You're quite early. Only War Machine is here, but he went to fetch some café au lait. I swear, Vision must be developing some sort of aspiration to become a barista."

"Colonel Rhodes is invited too?" Charles asked curiously.

"Yeah," Tony nodded, "I thought we could produce something more productive with more heads and eyes on the project. I invited King T'Challa from Wakanda as well, and Doctor Pym from Pym Technologies decided to send his daughter, Ms. Hope van Dyne, to take part in the development of the new Accords and the A-SP2."

As he spoke, Tony went to remove one of the chairs from around the conference table to make place for Charles' wheelchair.

"I did some light reading after you contacted me, Professor, and I must say your work on genetic mutations is amazing, although I was surprised at the publication date, considering your, err... youthful looks. I would've expected someone of your age to be bald and wrinkly by now. Is looking good another one of your mutations besides your telepathy?"

"As far as my research goes, mutants do seem, on average, to live slightly longer lives," Charles replied with a smile.

As he maneuvered his wheelchair to take place at the table, Rhodey walked into the room with two mugs carefully held in his hand, his gait still decidedly unsteady.

"Tony," he said, while holding out one steaming mug to the engineer, who just stared at it.

"Uhm, Rhodey, you're my oldest friend. I'm a bit offended that you still don't know my preference for black coffee."

Rhodey simply rolled his eyes. "Don't be so dramatic, Tony. Vision just wants you to try his creations. You'd better drink this quickly, if you don't want to hurt his feelings."

"Fine." A lopsided smile appeared around Tony's lips. "I'm only doing this because it's Viz, though."

He reached out and took the mug from his friend before focusing back on his conversation with Charles. The Professor, however, was no longer paying him any attention. The man was staring intently at Rhodey's legs, which were still visibly supported by Tony's leg braces.

"Uhm..." Tony fidgeted nervously. "Those are, err... prototypes."

A pained look entered Charles' eyes. "You must care for Colonel Rhodes very much," he commented, tearing his gaze away from the braces.

"I, uhm..." Tony found himself floundering for a suitable answer. "I can make another pair. I was thinking of bringing them onto the market after some more refinements, but I could make a pair for you now, I mean, if you want."

"That won't be necessary, Mr. Stark." Charles let out a sigh. "It just reminded me of some things in the past."

"Oh... I... that's, uh..." Tony was saved from more embarrassment by FRIDAY.

"King T'Challa has arrived," the AI announced.

"Send him up here," said Tony.

He sipped at his drink, while he waited for the king of Wakanda to come. Rhodey left the room with the excuse that he was going to check on Vision in the kitchen, but Tony knew that he was trying to flee the uncomfortable atmosphere that had come about after Charles had seen his leg braces.

T'Challa arrived soon enough and Tony put his mug down to shake the king's hand.

"Welcome, welcome! Please, make yourself comfortable here."

"I must say, I'm surprised that you invited me, Mr. Stark."

Tony blinked at the strange words. "Why? Wakanda was a prominent supporter of the Sokovia Accords. I think it's only natural that Wakanda should be involved in the creation of the legislation that will succeed it."

"My house guests did not anger you then?" T'Challa carefully prodded, and Tony realized what was eating at the king.

"Honestly?" Tony said. "They did, they really pissed me off. However, I'm not going to transfer my anger for them towards you. Besides, they have to stay somewhere, right? It might as well be Wakanda, because at least I know that you can handle them."

T'Challa stared at him for a moment, then inclined his head. "I'm relieved to hear you say that."

"Nah, it's fine." Tony waved it off.

"Oh, by the way..." Tony turned to include Charles, "I'd like to keep this meeting informal, so you can all just call me Tony. My father was Mr. Stark."

"Then you can call me T'Challa," said the young king.

"Call me Charles," the professor offered.

* * *

TBC...


	14. There is always Hope

**Chapter 14: There is always Hope**

When Hope van Dyne arrived at the Tower she was not alone; Phil Coulson had just found the time to make a lightning fast stop at the Tower as well. She regarded him passively as they stood together in the elevator, but he did not appear to be doing well.

 _Phil Coulson from SHIELD,_ she noted. _Isn't that man supposed to be dead according to our insider? His eyes are bloodshot; he looks stressed and angry. What happened?_

As soon as the elevator reached its destination, Coulson stomped out in front of her. She followed him to a conference room, slightly bewildered by his sour mood. Tony was already there together with the King of Wakanda and another man in a wheelchair.

"Ah, Hope! It's been a long time," Tony said as soon as he saw her face. "Let me introduce you to T'Challa and Charles here." He pointed to the two men behind him.

"It has been long indeed," Hope replied. "MIT is quite behind us."

Tony's eyes then landed on the man who came with her and he raised an eyebrow. "Agent-Agent? I didn't know you'd be coming. I heard you were quite busy these days."

"Nicknames another time, Tony," the man responded curtly.

"What happened, Phil?"

"Turn on the news."

His urgent tone made Tony frown, but the genius billionaire complied. "FRIDAY, turn on the news."

At the front wall of the room a screen flickered on to show the Secretary of State, Thaddeus Ross, speaking to the public, and Hope felt her hackles raise while listening to his announcement:

"And because terrorists like Spiderman, Quake, Ghost Rider and Daredevil are running amok, destroying our society," he said to the camera, "we need transparency. For that reason, the USA will continue development of the Sokovia Accords under the Registration Acts amendment. We will not support the Anonymous Schooling Program for Super-Powered People, because people with powers are dangerous and need to be registered. As for our so-called superheroes, they fall under the laws of military and we will not make any exceptions for them. I urge the world to strongly reconsider support for Mr. Stark's well-meaning, but ultimately faulty ideas."

The screen flickered back to the reporter who spoke animatedly about the events:

"It appears that the United States is willing to sacrifice human rights for the sake of security. Japan has already placed its support behind the US, but many other allies are either on the fence on the situation and a few have even condemned the US position. The German Chancellor has stated that 'Germany will never return to its discriminatory past again' and in very strong wordings told the US to 'learn from history'. The British have announced that they are 'willing to help develop the A-SP2 on the condition that international security is taken into account'. Other countries that were receptive to both the Superhero Accords and the A-SP2 include France, Australia, Belgium and Wakanda. China and Russia have also spoken their support for the Superhero Accords, but seem as of yet hesitant to do the same for the A-SP2."

Tony stared at the screen in shock. "Fuck..."

"Fuck indeed," Hope muttered under her breath, stewing in anger.

Tony growled. "I don't understand. With all the information I've been leaking on Ross – how he chased Bruce down, the people he put in the Raft without any legal process – he should be standing on his last legs by now."

That caught Hope's attention and she raised an eyebrow. "That was you?"

She was rewarded with a mischievous wink thrown in her direction.

"My intel says that he's been absolved from all of those crimes," said Coulson, who pulled out a chair to let himself fall into with a sigh, "by bribing many influential people, including the President of the United States himself. They are retroactively applying anti-terrorism laws to his actions."

"That isn't legal," Hope pointed out.

"It is now," Coulson said. "The President himself pulled some strings to make it so. High Court has also been bribed to accommodate Ross. The Watchdogs' influence is growing in our government and super-powered people can now legally be thrown into the Raft without any due process."

"But that's against human rights!" Tony argued, and Hope agreed.

"Yes, it is," Coulson said, "but the US just declared unilaterally that super-powered people are not human. Under US laws they're called Inhumans, Mutants, Enhanced Beings and Aliens, so supposedly human rights do not apply to them. I'm sorry to say this, Tony, but America is giving the UN a big middle finger and getting away with it too on account that they're a hegemonic power."

This was getting dangerous. Hope decided to tackle the main issue.

"I find it more worrying that our government now claims that all superheroes fall under military laws. That means that Antman and Wasp – not to mention, Iron Man and the Iron Patriot―"

"It's War Machine," Tony muttered.

"―are now military property by law. Our technologies are being robbed from under our nose to be used by a rogue state," Hope finished.

"Not if you move your base to Wakanda," T'Challa offered. "I'll make sure that the Superhero Accords and the A-SP2 are honored in my country."

"There's more," Coulson added, gravely. "SHIELD has been folded back into the US government and is now working above ground again... sort of. Since I'm officially supposed to be dead still, I'm no longer the Director. I've been demoted to field agent. I still have a few eyes planted, but SHIELD is no longer under my control, so you need to be careful when dealing with us."

He stood up and placed a hand on Tony's shoulder. "I need to go. Take care of yourself."

Tony gave him a lopsided smile. "You too, Agent."

Coulson left the room in a hurry.

The remaining occupants of the room contemplated their next move in silence. It was Charles who finally decided to break it.

"The UK seems supportive," he said, "and I have a place that I've been wanting to transform into a school for a while now that is located there. I think that with some political persuasion, we can still make this work."

"I guess this means I'll need to dig up some corpses to get our dear President impeached." Tony sighed.

"I will do what I can to persuade other countries for our cause," T'Challa promised.

"In the mean time, I'll tell my father to move Pym Technologies out of America," Hope said, giving Tony a meaningful look.

Tony returned it with a smirk. "I'll tell Pepper to do the same for Stark Industries. I'm sure that'll have considerable impact on our President's popularity."

In that moment, Rhodes and Vision entered the conference room. Vision, with several more mugs of café au lait on a tray balanced in one hand, and a freshly baked strawberry sponge cake in another. The two blinked when they saw the serious faces look up at them.

"Did we miss something?" asked Rhodes.

"You have no idea," Tony replied.

* * *

TBC...


	15. Not what they seem like

**Chapter 15: Not what they seem like**

"I wanted to apologize for Scott," said Hope, as they concluded their first meeting. "Pym Technologies never gave him permission to use the Antman suit in Germany; and frankly, I don't know what the man was thinking when he decided to go to Germany."

"It's fine." Tony waved off her apology. " I don't blame you for his decisions. Besides, I bet your dad was badmouthing me a lot in front of him."

Hope had the decency to blush. "He did."

T'Challa was uncertain why Tony did not feel insulted by this admission, but the man simply laughed as if he heard a good joke.

"Typical of your dad," said Tony, "and that probably influenced Lang," he then pointed out.

"That shouldn't be a reason to let him get off scot-free," Tony's friend, James, insisted.

"I concur with Mr. Rhodes," said Vision, and in his mind T'Challa agreed as well.

Hope let out a frustrated sigh. "I don't understand why my father can't just let the feud between our families die out. I mean, you're not Howard Stark."

For a moment, Tony says nothing. Then, he cracks a disingenuous smile. "True. I'm not my father."

It was obvious that this topic was not something Tony liked to discuss.

Seeing Hope's searching looks upon receiving the curt reply, and knowing that the emotional wounds of Siberia were still too fresh in Tony's mind, T'Challa forestalled Hope's attempt to dig deeper by steering the conversation back to Scott Lang. "Mr. Lang was called to help Captain America. I believe that he, at the time of recruitment, was so in awe of his idol and honored by the man's request, that he failed to actually think his actions through."

He knew he had the woman's attention when she frowned at him.

"How would you know this?"

"I'm currently housing the ex-Avengers," T'Challa replied. "I've made some interesting observations about them."

"Wait, you― you're housing them!?"

Both Hope and James gaped at the king, the surprise confession rendering them at a loss for words for a few moments. Vision's reaction was more subdued, but he too seemed to perk up with interest at the revelation. Tony's expression didn't change, but he already knew everything. It was Charles's reaction that was strangest to T'Challa; he didn't seem surprised in the least, though he should have no way of knowing what was going on.

"Mr. Lang is safe and well looked after," T'Challa continued. "I am willing to open a secure line from Wakanda to you, if you wish to keep in touch with him."

He saw the exact moment when Hope's mind shifted from shock to anger.

"I'd like that, yes," she said, scowling deeply as she spoke. "His ex and I both have a _lot_ to say to him, not to mention his children. Though, I can't believe you've actually taken them in. Won't this reflect badly on Wakanda?"

T'Challa inclined his head. "It will, if it becomes public knowledge. But I'd like to believe that I'm among friends who can be trusted to keep secrets. Besides, the ex-Avengers need to stay somewhere and Wakanda is willing to keep an eye on them."

He decided it was for the best not to mention Rogers' departure.

"Could you do the same for Clint and his family?" Tony asked. "I know it's not my place to interfere, and I know I'm asking for a favor here, but I think Laura would be worried about him."

"I'm sure things can be arranged," said T'Challa.

"Well, I guess this meeting can be adjourned then," said Tony. "We'll continue where we left off next time." He stretched and stood up from his seat. "Oh, that reminds me, you guys are welcome to the Tower during your stay here; I'm sure it's a lot nicer here than returning to an impersonal hotel room."

"Thank you, Tony," said Hope, "but I need to inform my father of what we discussed here. I'll see you next time."

Tony smiled. "It was good to see you again, Hope."

"Likewise," she replied.

With a few more farewells, she left the Tower. T'Challa and Charles, whose homes were in Wakanda and Britain respectively and therefore not so easy to return to, did take Tony up on his offer.

xxx

"What do you think of pizza for dinner, Mr. Stark?" Vision asked out of the blue, as the remaining group of five made to leave the conference room.

Vision was the only one to address Tony formally, T'Challa noted, without it bothering him. It seemed Tony was expecting it, even liking it to some extend, as if it were a familiar, comforting habit that the android was displaying and not an expression of distance. Perhaps to them it was.

"Sounds great," Tony replied, "Let's order― wait, are saying you'll _make_ one?"

"Homemade pizzas are the nutritionally sound option," Vision replied, and Tony laughed.

"I think we need to open a restaurant for you. Or start a TV program: Cooking with Vision! What do you say?"

"You are too kind, Mr. Stark."

And with that Vision left, passing through the far off wall, leaving Tony to sigh fondly after him. Then, the billionaire picked up the empty cups and a plate of almost finished strawberry sponge cake.

For a moment, the scene reminded T'Challa of his own father. Once upon a time, T'Chaka, too, had given T'Challa that fond look when he was indulging his son in one of his whims.

Then, Tony dropped a cup and the spell was broken.

"I'm so not made for household tasks," the man muttered. "FRIDAY, get Dum-E to clean this mess for me, okay? Oh, by the way," he returned his attention to T'Challa and Charles, "if the bots offer you anything to eat or drink, please refuse. They mean well, but they don't know the difference between us and them, so you'll probably be poisoned with motor oil."

Charles let out a soft chuckle, while T'Challa merely grinned.

"I can see you love your creations a lot, Tony," he commented.

"Yeah, I kind of consider them to be my children, though, please don't tell them that."

The media portrayed Tony as an egotistical, walking disaster. The man dubbed himself as genius, billionaire, playboy, and philanthropist. To his fans, he was Iron Man. But T'Challa, who was coming to know this man from a whole new angle, did not find any of those words sufficient in describing this man. Beneath all those labels, Tony Stark was a genuine person who cared deeply for those he considered his friends.

And as T'Challa came to realize this, another epiphany hit him like a strike of lightning.

 _This is a good man. And I want to be his friend._

xxx

 _ **Far, far away from Stark Tower**_

"Thor?"

"Yes, Bruce Banner?"

"Am I going crazy here or is that a walking tree and a talking raccoon?"

* * *

TBC...


	16. Romeo and Juliet

**Chapter 16: Romeo and Juliet**

Vision's first foray into pizza making turned into a bonding experience between him, Tony and Rhodey. Whereas Vision neatly measured every grain of salt and every drop of oil, Tony preferred to get flour all over the place.

"You're cooking like a college kid," said Rhodey with a chuckle.

"Actually, this is considered improvement," Tony pointed out. "Back then I didn't know how to cook at all."

"I should know," Rhodey grinned, "because I was the one always cooking for you." He chopped up the olives with a swift flick of the wrist.

Noting Rhodey's superior cutting technique, Vision reenacted his moves with a slight adjustment to accommodate for the size and texture of the tomatoes. He was satisfied that his tomato slices turned out to be more evenly distributed in size in comparison to what the lady at the cooking program had accomplished.

A quick assessment led him to conclude that Rhodey was a far better cook than Tony, and so he turned to the man for advice.

"Mr. Rhodes," he asked, "do you prefer salami or tuna on top of the pizza?"

Before Rhodey could even open his mouth to reply, Tony had already voiced his opinion: "Let's do both!"

The sudden silence that enveloped the kitchen made Tony look up from the dough he was kneading. He found that his best friend was giving him a look of disgust, whereas Vision appeared slightly confused.

"Or... maybe not?" Tony quickly backtracked. "I mean, we don't have to, if you don't―"

He stopped mid-sentence.

"Wait a minute..." Tony shot his friend an accusatory look. "You think I meant both, like... together?" Tony scrunched up his nose in disgust. "Ew, Rhodey! How could you think that of me! Why would I want to mix the salami with tuna?!"

"'How could I think that of you'?" Rhodey echoed. "You mean, how could I _not_ think that of you, right? Because last time we had hot dogs, you were―"

"Yeah, let's _not_ talk about that in front of Viz!" Tony interrupted. He coughed slightly, as his cheeks turned an interesting shade of pink.

"So..." Vision inquired, "does this mean we'll be making two pizza's?"

"Make that three," said Rhodey. "I'd like to have Hawaiian pizza."

xxx

"This looks delicious," said Charles, as dinner was served that night.

"I know I'll enjoy it," T'Challa assented. "Homemade pizza is a guilty pleasure of mine."

Although Vision was not going to partake in dinner, he felt quite pleased by all the praise.

"We should turn on the TV," Tony commented. "Pizza and TV is one of those clichés that need to be preserved."

"How about a movie?" T'Challa suggested. "I'd love to see that nineties rendition of Romeo and Juliet."

T'Challa's suggestion made Rhodey laugh loudly.

"Oh man, I did not expect that!" he exclaimed. "The King of Wakanda likes soppy romance movies!"

T'Challa chuckled self-deprecatingly. "It's another guilty pleasure of mine."

There was something different about the way T'Challa spoke of the pizza compared to how he mentioned the movie, Vision noted, though he could not put his finger on the quality of difference. He tilted his head and frowned in thought, but he was still too unfamiliar with the complexities of human interactions to decipher this riddle.

From the corner of his eyes, he saw Charles raise an eyebrow ― as if in surprise. Charles, Vision knew, was a telepath, so it was possible that he had picked up on T'Challa's thoughts, and if they did not match T'Challa's words, then that would certainly be surprising.

But why would T'Challa lie about his preference in movies?

As Tony set up the movie for them to watch, Vision kept mulling over the thought in his head. It made little sense to him, but obviously the lie was related to the movie somehow, and so Vision kept his eyes on the screen where the two star-crossed lovers discovered themselves to be each others soul mates trapped amid a bitter family feud.

When the credits rolled across the screen and the pizzas had disappeared, Vision was no further to unraveling the secret.

"Well, that's certainly not how I'd like to end with my soul mate," Charles commented lightly.

"Neither would I, though Fate is not something that we have control over," T'Challa pointed out.

Tony snorted. "Yeah, right!" Stretching his legs, he sat up straighter in his chair. "If Romeo and Juliet have taught me anything, then it's that Fate is a bitch and you shouldn't let it get to you or you'll end up in an early grave."

"Those are harsh words," T'Challa noted.

"They may be harsh, but I have to agree with Tony on this." Rhodey gestured towards himself as he spoke. "Take me for example. I lost my mate before I ever met her. Should I have died with her, as Juliet died with Romeo?"

T'Challa shook his head. "Of course not. You never sealed your bond with your mate, because you never met. But if the bond _had_ been sealed, as was the case with Romeo and Juliet, then you would've been left with little choice."

"True," Rhodey conceded. "But I don't like it. I grieved deeply when I lost my soul mate, but in the end I'm happy to still be alive."

"You are lucky," said Charles, "but I find that Romeo and Juliet are also lucky."

"How are they lucky when they're both dead?" Tony asked.

"Romeo and Juliet have at least known each other," Charles argued. "That makes them lucky."

"I would much rather not know," Tony said decisively. Then, turning to Vision: "You agree with me, right, Viz?"

"Mr. Stark, you know I can't agree with something I have no frame of reference of."

Tony slapped his forehead. "Oh, right. You don't have a heartsong."

A sharp gasp from the telepath brought the group's attention back to Charles. Charles regarded Vision with a most peculiar expression on his face. "You don't hear yours either?" he asked.

Vision blinked. Of course he didn't. He was not like them.

"I'm an android," he said by way of explanation. "I wasn't born in the natural way that others are, which is probably why I'm unaffected by soul bonds."

"Oh... I see."

But Charles' question had raised Tony's curiosity.

"What do you mean by 'either'? Are you telling us that you also don't have a heartsong?"

"I..." Charles sighed and shook his head. "It's probably up there," he said, tapping his temple with his forefinger, "but I can't hear it through all the noise in my head."

T'Challa gave the man an uncomprehending look. "Noise?" he asked, but Charles merely smiled.

"I'm a telepath. I can't turn my powers off, so I'm always surrounded by people's stray thoughts. I try to ignore most of them, but sometimes I will pick up certain thoughts that are projected rather loudly. For example, I know you were lying about your preference for romantic films, and I know that Vision has been trying very hard to figure out why you lied about this. So, perhaps you could enlighten us?"

From the way T'Challa shifted, Vision theorized that the man probably felt embarrassed at being caught red-handed. He wasn't entirely certain, because human emotions were too fickle to make real sense of, but it seemed to most logical conclusion given the circumstances.

"I'm not certain this should be brought up here," the king said at last.

"Oh, come on!" Tony waved off T'Challa's concern. "We're all friends here. Besides, as we all know, Charles is a telepath, so there are no secrets we can hide from him.

"It's a rather sensitive issue," T'Challa tried to stall, but Tony would have none of it.

"What could be worse than having Thaddeus Ross turn the USA into the Fourth Reich?"

"I know who your soul mate is, Tony." T'Challa gave the man a measured look, and Tony stiffened.

"So?"

"When you rejected him, he reacted badly to it. I would have preferred not to say it, but... I don't know what he'll do. He's _left_." T'Challa closed his eyes and sighed. "I'm sorry."

Tony paled at the same time that Charles crumpled in on himself.

As the telepath grasped at his chest and heaved his dinner back up, Vision rushed to his side in alarm.

"Are you alright, Mr. Xavier?!"

But Charles pushed Vision's helping hand away.

"H-how..." he stuttered, pained eyes looking up to stare at Tony in pity, "how could he have done that to you?"

* * *

TBC...


	17. Insight

**Chapter 17: Insight**

No one spoke when Tony stood up and rushed out of the room without a word, but James was quick to follow him to make sure he would be alright. In the distance, T'Challa heard the sound of retching, and his concern grew.

"What happened?" he asked softly, looking at Charles. "You said someone had done something to him?"

"It's not my place to tell you about this," Charles shakily replied, but T'Challa was not easily dissuaded.

"It has to do with _him_ , doesn't it? I know _he_ is Tony's soul mate."

Uncertain whether Vision knew of Tony's soulmate, T'Challa did not call Rogers by name, but he made sure to put the image of Rogers to the forefront of his mind, in the hopes that his thoughts would reach Charles through the man's peripheral telepathic powers.

"I…" Charles sighed then, caving to T'Challa's pressure. "I see. Yes, it's about Steve Rogers. Or rather, what he did in Siberia."

T'Challa was instantly reminded of the happenings of that day. He recalled clearly the memories of Rogers sliding into despair upon losing his heartsong, and his own thoughts upon witnessing a grown man crumbling in on himself through the hand of Fate.

T'Challa was hesitant to speak openly of a matter as private and sensitive as the heartsong, but judging by Charles' choice to mention Rogers' name, it appeared that Vision already knew of the situation, which wasn't much of a surprise, considering how Tony regarded the android. He, T'Challa, was the only one still in the dark.

"I know Rogers' heartsong became silent for two hours straight that day. With the exception of him and Tony, I know of no other instance where a heartsong has stopped through a means other than by death itself. Whatever happened that day, I know it cannot have been anything good for something so drastic to have happened."

"Mr. Stark and Mr. Rogers are not an exception."

This was the first time Vision spoke since Tony and James had left the room.

T'Challa frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Do you recall the false death of Juliet in the movie?" Vision asked.

T'Challa slowly nodded. "I do."

"Technically Juliet was no longer alive, because her body had temporarily ceased all its functions."

A feeling of dread began to creep into T'Challa's heart.

"Surely, you do not mean to tell me that Tony faked his death?"

"No, nothing so theatrical." The biting sarcasm was so foreign coming from the android that it set T'Challa's teeth on edge. "I'm saying that Mr. Stark did technically experience death that day when Steven Grant Rogers struck his shield into Mr. Stark's chest."

After that revelation, T'Challa, a traditional man, who believed firmly in the eternity of the soul bond, could no longer find fault in Tony's decision to reject his other half.

xxx

"Are you alright?"

Tony nodded, but he was clinging to the edge of the toilet.

"Are you sure you're alright?" They both knew the answer, but Rhodey wanted Tony to admit it to him.

Tony heaved another time, then slowly shook his head.

Rhodey sighed. He and Pepper had seen this coming from a mile away, but unlike Pepper, who continued to nag Tony to get a psychologist despite Tony's obstinate refusal, Rhodey had known that Tony would not cave without trying something by himself first and had stopped insisting after a short while.

It took some difficulty, but Rhodey managed to kneel down to Tony's level. He reached out and rubbed his friend's back in comfort.

"This can't go on."

"I'm already on it with the BARF."

"The BARF isn't working."

"Isn't working _yet_ ," Tony countered weakly, and Rhodey smiled despite himself.

"Yes, yes, your inventions are the greatest ever, everyone knows that," he said indulgently, "but right now, the BARF isn't ready for the task."

"It just needs some fine-tuning," Tony insisted.

"I know, but you need help _now_."

Tony sighed in defeat. "Why do you always have to act like my personal voice of reason?"

Rhodey chuckled softly. "Because you're already acting as my impulsive nature, remember?"

xxx

T'Challa hadn't come to the USA just to discuss with Tony the development of the Superhero Accords and the A-SP2. That Thursday, he had made an appointment to meet his father's murderer.

As he stepped out of his car, he took in the maximum security facility that held Helmut Zemo imprisoned. He was received by the man who ran the place, the Deputy Task Force Commander of the Joint Counter Terrorist Centre, Everett K. Ross.

"Welcome, Your Majesty," the man greeted him with an outstretched hand.

"Mr. Ross." T'Challa took the offered and shook it.

"I understand that you wish to speak to your father's murderer, although I don't see what value it would bring, considering his uncooperative nature thus far."

"I simply want some closure."

"I see. We do have our security protocols in place, though. I hope you don't mind being searched by my people and going through a body scan. We will also be monitoring your contact with the inmate."

"Of course."

He went through the procedures without much trouble, trusting in the superiority of Wakanda's technologies.

When he finally met the man he had captured and locked away, he felt empty. This man may have killed his father, and T'Challa should've rightfully hated him. But T'Challa saw too much of his old self in him. The hatred, the rage, the all-consuming pain… This man, Helmut Zemo, was not someone T'Challa could hate even if he wanted to, because if he had never known this man, he would have become him instead.

Now was not the time for self-reflection, though. T'Challa was here on a mission. He needed the man to explain his motives, his reasons, the whys of what he'd done.

Sitting in front of the man, an enforced see-through barrier between them, he looked at the other with determination. "You killed my father even though you called him a good man. Why did you do it?"

Zemo gave him a passive look. "Were you not satisfied with my monologue last time?"

"Last time, I was too consumed by my own emotions. I want you to tell me again, to tell me clearly why you killed my father, while I am in control of myself."

"You were plenty in control of yourself in Siberia. You had the chance to kill me, to take your revenge for your father's death, but instead you took me to this place and had me locked up."

T'Challa narrowed his eyes. "If I had killed you, I'd have fulfilled your last wish to reunite with your family. You were already pointing a gun to your own head."

"True." Zemo leaned forward. "Very well then, if you want to relive your pain like this, who am I to deny you? I will tell you again what I said in Siberia. That day, when the Avengers tore down Sokovia in order to 'save' the world… had they given any regard to the lives of my father, my wife, and my son? As if! They called it a day and went home! So, I devised a plan to take the Avengers down from within."

"So you used the life of my father to exact your vengeance? To sow discord between Iron Man and Captain America?"

"Yes. Your father was a casualty, a mere footnote in my plan to avenge my family. I am sorry that he had to be involved, but it was the only way for someone like me to get justice. A god with an army of aliens could not kill them, who was I to even try? I knew I could not. So, I had them destroy each other instead."

"What about justice for my father?

Zemo regarded T'Challa solemnly. "My offer still stands. If you want to avenge your father, you may kill me."

"And then?" T'Challa pushed. "What then? When does the cycle of vengeance end?"

A smirk formed around Zemo's lips. "The cycle of vengeance only ends when the last of the line dies with it. I am the last."

T'Challa gave him a hard look. "I won't fulfill your last wish. You will not see your family for a very long time. That is my vengeance."

"It matters not to me. I've got what I wanted."

This time, it was T'Challa's turn to smirk. He leaned forward, looking Zemo straight in the eyes. "Do you?"

And with that he blinked his eyes, turning off the camera build into his contact lenses, then stood up and left the man to his devices.

xxx

Far away in Wakanda, in T'Challa's personal office, the hologram sending a live feed of the exchange between T'Challa and Zemo shut down.

A red misty glow spread across the room, as the Scarlet Witch crumbled down and broke into tears.

She knew why T'Challa had shown her this; he was telling her that if she continued to hate Tony, she would be no better than Helmut Zemo.

Wanda learned in that moment how close she had come to descending into villainy again.

xxx

Helmut Zemo contemplated the peculiar words that he had been left with. Surely, the young king of Wakanda was hinting at forgiveness and a reunion, but that was impossible, with the bad blood running between the two sides, unless... well, it was admirable, almost heroic, how far the Black Panther was willing to go to fix things.

But Helmut would not allow him to succeed.

It was time to play his last card.

Mere moments after T'Challa had left, Helmut called for Everett Ross.

"I'm willing to make my statement," he said, "on the condition that I can deliver it personally to Thaddeus Ross."

* * *

TBC...


	18. An unexpected guest

**Chapter 18: An unexpected guest**

Rhodey had been right, Tony concluded, as he fixed himself a cup of coffee. The BARF would be amazing, no doubt about that, but Tony needed to have help sooner than the machine could offer. He needed someone to talk to. It couldn't just be anyone though. If anyone would do, then Rhodey, as his best friend and the one who understood him most, would've been good enough. But Rhodey hadn't been enough. No, Tony needed someone with the right qualifications.

But not a stranger.

No way would Tony unload his story on a total stranger. He didn't trust that. Who knew whether his story might be sold to the press for a quick buck; there were more than enough unscrupulous people on this planet. He would not risk it.

Which meant that his only option would be—

 _Click._

Suddenly, the lights turned off and the kitchen was covered in darkness.

Tony stiffened.

Was the Tower under attack? Which criminal mastermind was he going to be up against?

For a moment, Tony was grateful for the fact that his guests were gone, so that they did not have to deal with this mess. Charles was led around the city by Vision, and T'Challa had his own busy schedule to attend to.

Rhodey was out as well however, for an appointment with Dr. Cho.

Which meant that Tony was entirely on his own.

"FRIDAY?"

No answer. The emergency back-up must also have been cut off.

And his trusty watch with the in-built gauntlet? It was at the lab downstairs in the middle of an upgrade. So, he was on his own, without weapons facing a potential super villain.

No, wait. He was in a **kitchen** …

Tony quickly went to the drawer that contained the knives and grabbed the first one he could reach.

What else?

Emergency signal. Thank god, he had his phone in his pocket!

The moment he'd send out the distress signal, the door to the kitchen opened and someone Tony never wished to see again stepped in.

"Tony, we need to talk."

"Get out of my Tower, Rogers!"

"Tony, you're being unreasonable." Steve took a step forward, forcing Tony back.

"Which part of 'get out' don't you understand?" Tony sneered, but Steve continued to close in on him.

"You can't just reject me, Tony!"

"I already did!"

"Well, I won't let you!"

When Steve tried to reach out to Tony, Tony pointed his knife at his foe.

"Back off, Steve!"

"Really, Tony?"

As if to mock him, Steve lifted a perfectly shaped eyebrow. And, of course, Mr. Perfect had a point. What could Tony possibly do to a super soldier with a butter knife?

Nothing.

Slowly, Tony lowered his knife. But as soon as he saw Steve reach for him again, he lifted his hand back up.

And placed the knife against his own throat.

"Back. Off."

Steve froze on the spot. "Tony… put the knife down, please… you don't want to do this."

Tony let out a bitter laugh. "You're right. I don't. I really don't want to do this. You see, I still have things worth living for. Things I _have_ to do. And things I _want_ to do. But I can't do those things when I'm tied to you."

"What are you talking about? Of course you can do what you want!"

"Can I? Last time I tried you put my father's shield into my chest."

"That's because you tried to kill Bucky, Tony!"

"And who's fault is _that_? Who was the one hiding from me the fact that my parents were _murdered_? If you weren't such a damn hypocrite, Steve, I could have processed my grief and contained myself in Siberia. I wouldn't have attacked your precious Bucky."

"Wouldn't you?" Steve challenged, and Tony huffed in contempt.

"I may hate Bucky, but even I can see who the _real_ culprit is behind my parents' death. It was HYDRA that pulled the trigger. Bucky was just the gun."

Steve took a minute longer to observe Tony, as if he did not believe him, but then he finally seemed to settle down once he found whatever it was he had been looking for. "Okay," he said. "I'm glad you understand. And I apologize for not telling you about your parents. I told you in my letter why—"

"Oh, spare me with your letters, Rogers!" Tony snarled. "That bullshit you wrote was **not** an apology; it was you being a self-satisfied _prick_!"

"Tony, I'm trying to **fix** things between us!" Steve shouted in frustration.

"There's _nothing_ left to **fix** between us!" Tony yelled back.

Steve deflated quickly. "You can't mean that."

"I do."

"No," Steve shook his head in denial, as if that would change the truth of Tony's words. "You don't really mean that, you're being irrational. Your PTSD is affecting your judgement."

Tony could only snort at the irony of that statement. "Maybe. But if that were the case, I would have your treatment in Siberia to thank for it."

A frustrated sigh escaped from Steve's lips. "Tony, we've been over this. I'm sorry for what happened in Siberia, okay? I should have told you about your parents, but I didn't, because I was a coward, and I'm sorry. I'm really, really sorry."

"I'm not talking about that right now."

Steve frowned. "Then what…?"

"You used my father's shield on me."

"You were trying to kill Bucky," Steve repeated defensively.

"So, you decided that it was better to kill me instead?"

"I… I didn't–!" Steve stuttered, but he was only digging himself in further.

Tony let out a tired sigh.

"The fact that you don't even know what you did to me, makes you all the more terrifying. Do you know how scared I am to go to sleep? Every time I close my eyes, I dream of how you shove that shield into my chest. I feel my lungs collapse in on themselves, and I relive the moment when I die cold and alone in a HYDRA base in Siberia. _Over_ and _over_ , you kill me. When I look at you, I recognize the monster that people had long ago seen in the Avengers. I'm **afraid** of you, Steve."

It was quiet for a moment. Then, Steve released a shaky breath.

"Tony, I… I'm sorry that I made you so afraid of me, I really am… but what you dream isn't real. It's just a nightmare."

"It's not just a nightmare, Steve," Tony stated, flatly. "If you listen carefully to my heartsong, you can hear the truth. "

Steve regarded Tony's words carefully. Sensing the conviction behind Tony's voice, he closed his eyes and listened to the song. And the longer he listened, the paler he got. Because in his song, he could hear the truth of every one of Tony's statements.

When Steve opened his eyes again, his countenance appeared sickly. He gave Tony a helpless look. "Tony, please," he begged, "we can get through this." He tried to reach for him again.

In response, Tony pressed the knife harder against his throat. A thin line of blood seeped out of the wound.

There was nothing that could be done to save their soul bond.

"Get out."

Knowing the seriousness in Tony's demeanor, Steve slowly raised his hands up and backed away. For now, he had lost, and Tony had gotten his way. He left Tony to himself in the kitchen.

A few minutes later, the electricity went on and FRIDAY was back.

"FRIDAY?"

"Yes, Boss?"

"Lock the door of this kitchen."

"Yes, Boss."

As soon as the beep was heard indicating that the door was locked, Tony threw the knife to the far end of the room where it clattered on the floor.

"FRIDAY?"

"Yes, Boss?"

"We need a new security code for the power access of the Tower. Right now."

"Yes, Boss."

After that, Tony slumped onto the floor.

"FRIDAY?"

"Yes, Boss?"

"Is Steve Rogers still at the Tower?"

"No, Boss."

"Revoke all access that Steve Rogers had towards any of my properties."

"Yes, Boss."

And after that...

"FRIDAY?"

"Yes, Boss?"

"Request for a restraining order against Steve Rogers."

"How should it be formulated, Boss?"

"Put it under spousal abuse."

And later…

"FRIDAY?"

"Yes, Boss?"

"If I ever do something remotely stupid like taking myself hostage again, get Dum-E or U to wack some sense back into me."

xxx

That night, Vision, who had responded to the distress signal, returned to the Tower to find Tony drawn into a little ball on the floor of the kitchen, his arms hugging his knees tightly against his chest.

"Mr. Stark?" the android hesitantly asked.

"Hi, Viz…" Tony mumbled.

"What happened?"

"Rogers came to visit."

A moment of silence.

"Should I call for Mr. Rhodes?"

Tony shook his head. "He had an important examination with Helen."

Hesitantly, Vision knelt down in front of Tony. "What about Ms. Potts?"

Again Tony shook his head. Then, slowly, he looked up, his face pale and his eyes haunted. "I just need _you_ , Vision. Can you hold me?"

Yes, Vision could do that. He put his arms around Tony and held him through the night.

* * *

TBC...


	19. Precarious position

**Chapter 19: Precarious position**

The very next evening, Pepper barged into the Tower.

"Tony, can you please explain to me what the hell is going on here!?"

Gathered at the dinner table, the group of four men – namely Tony, Rhodey, Charles and T'Challa – looked up from their phở noodle soup, which Vision was only just putting the finishing touches upon.

Tony raised his hands up guiltily. "Pepper-dearest, I have a good explanation for it…"

"Well, then I'd like to hear it!"

"It needed an upgrade."

"A… what?"

"Your fridge needed an upgrade, that's why I had your old one taken to the trash. Your new one will be done by tomorrow, I just need to put the finishing touches to the―"

"Wait, did you just say you threw away my fridge with all my food in it?"

Tony blinked. "Uhm… isn't that what you wanted to talk about?"

"No, it wasn't." Pepper sighed in exasperation. "But it will be when we've finished discussing _this_." And she shoved her cellphone into Tony's face. "Care to tell me when Captain Asshole became your _spouse_?"

Rhodey, who was leaning in to peer at the small screen as well, whistled. "A restraining order? Good job, Tony! You should have done this months ago!"

"You're kind of missing the point here, I think, Rhodey," Pepper said, though her expectant eyes did not leave Tony. "Since when are Tony and that jerk _married_?"

Tony coughed uncomfortably. "We're not married, Pepper."

"Then what's this about ' **spousal** abuse'? There is an entire media circus gathering outside of your Tower as we speak, Tony!"

Squirming under her heavy gaze, Tony picked up his chopsticks and began to play with them nervously. "Well… I couldn't exactly file it under soulmate abuse, considering that _that_ category doesn't exist under the legal system."

For a moment, Pepper was still. Then, the information seemed to dawn in on her when Tony saw the growing horror in her eyes. "Tell me it isn't so!"

"I'm afraid it is," said Tony, still playing with his chopsticks. "I'm sorry I didn't say anything to you, Pep', but… there hasn't exactly been a good moment to tell you this…"

 _Of course._ They had taken a break in their relationship, and then…

Feeling weak, Pepper grabbed a stool and slumped down on it. Another bowl of steaming noodles was placed in front of her, and she stared at it with glassy eyes.

 _How had things come to this?_

"I'm happy for you, Pep'."

Shaking herself from her thoughts, Pepper blinked. "…What?" She looked up and saw Tony gesturing at the ring on her finger. _Oh._ "I was going to tell you today, but then I saw the news just now, and…"

"I get it," Tony said dismissively, and waved her concern away, "Steve bulldozes through everything, even when he himself isn't present." He gave her gentle smile. "So, who's the lucky one?"

"It's Happy." She looked down at her ring with love, but the shadow of Tony's own misfortune put a considerable damper on her joy; Tony deserved better. "It's funny how I've known him for so long, and yet we never knew we were each other's soulmate until last week. He proposed to me yesterday."

"Congratulations then, Pepper. And I expect to be the best man at your wedding."

The other members at the table also gave their congrats, and Pepper, whom Tony quickly introduced to T'Challa and Charles, accepted them with a smile.

When she had calmed down and processed the things Tony had said to her, though, she grew anxious for him once more.

"This is really worrying, Tony," she said. "You just told us that there is no way to report soulmate abuse. It doesn't exist. What if Steve… what if he returned for you?"

Tony stiffened in his seat.

"Tony?" she asked in concern.

"Mr. Rogers already met with Mr. Stark yesterday, Ms. Potts," said Vision.

And with that revelation, all other members at the table broke out in varying degrees of anger and upset. How dare Steve Rogers show his face here again!? Why didn't Tony say anything!

Tony held his hands up, defensively. "Calm down, you guys! Nothing happened, I'm unharmed!"

"Except for that knife wound on your throat, of course, sir."

Tony shot Vision a quick glare, as if to tell him to shut up. "Steve didn't do that," he said.

"If Steve didn't do it, then who did?" Rhodey demanded.

"I… that's…" Tony sighed. "Look, if I tell you what happened, will you please not interrupt me?"

When they agreed, Tony told his story. He told them of how Steve had broken in, of the discussion that they had, of his decision to get the restraining order, and of how Vision responded to his distress signal."

"That's why I did it," Tony said. "He didn't do anything to me, but I was afraid that he would, I _knew_ that he **could** , so I… kind of took myself hostage."

Neither Pepper nor Rhodey knew what to say to his tale, so distressed were they, but T'Challa, having been groomed to be a politician since his youth, was not so easily shaken.

"What you say is very disturbing, Tony."

"Yeah, well," Tony shrugged, "I haven't offed myself yet, you know."

"That, too, is disturbing, but I was talking of the legal position that you find yourself in currently." T'Challa leaned forward. "You are the first person I know of who is rejecting his soulmate. There are no laws to protect you against Steve. You said so yourself: there is no such thing as 'soulmate abuse'. And I'm sure that 'soulmate rape' does not exist under the law either. In fact, if Steve makes your relationship public, he will have every right to claim you as his under the Romeo and Juliet laws that have been erected under the human rights charter."

"No…" Pepper shook her head. "The Romeo and Juliet laws were created to stop soulmates from being torn apart by family feuds, wars, and gang and party loyalties… they were created after the Second World War to _protect_ soulmates!"

"Legal systems can be abused," Tony said tightly. "Just look at what Ross is doing to our country now; if he succeeds in ratifying the Registration Acts amendment, I might as well hand myself over to Steve Rogers on a silver platter, because I won't _have_ any human rights in the USA by then."

"What are you talking about?" Rhodey asked.

"I'm Extremis-enhanced, remember?" Tony said. He looked at Pepper. "So are you."

"So, what!" Pepper slammed her hands upon the table. "You're going to let Steve consummate the soul bond with you? Let him rape you!? Let him bind your soul and life to him?!"

The tears began to roll from her cheeks, and Tony wished he could stop them, but there was nothing he could do to change the facts.

"It's the legal system that needs to be fixed. I'll have to focus on bringing down Ross first; get support for the Superhero Accords and the A-SP2; then I need to start on a first draft on soul mate abuse laws... or maybe I need to find a way to cut the bond off entirely."

"Is that at all possible?" T'Challa asked. "Severing the bond made for you by the Fates?"

"Perhaps..."

Everyone looked up at Charles, who had been silent up until this moment.

"I…" Charles hesitated. "I don't know if a soul bond and telepathy are the same, but I know that in both cases, you can peer into another being's mind… and I know of one person in particular, who manages to block my telepathy."

"How?" Tony pushed.

"With a helmet," Charles answered.

* * *

TBC...


	20. A tense phone call

**Chapter 20: A tense phone call**

Tony wanted to stall. He knew he wanted to procrastinate this matter for as long as possible, but he also knew it would not do him any good. He kept imagining Rhodey and Pepper's voices in his ear; one nagging him to just get it over with because the problem wouldn't fix itself, the other encouraging him and telling him it wouldn't be as bad as he imagined it.

At last, however, Tony ran out of valid reasons to delay the inevitable. Sighing loudly to himself, he instructed FRIDAY to dial the number to connect him through to Wakanda.

It was T'Challa's sister, who had taken the call.

"Is Sam there?" he asked.

"He is," she replied. "Is there something you needed of him?"

"Just a personal request."

"We monitor all our guests' communications," Shuri warned, but Tony had already anticipated as much.

"That's fine. Can you put me through to him?"

In less than ten seconds, Sam's face was scowling down at Tony. "What do you want?" he demanded impatiently.

"I..." Tony hesitated.

Sam seemed extremely pissed off. Had it been the right choice to call for him? Then again, Tony didn't trust anyone else with this. There was no other option besides Sam.

"You deal with people who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, right?" Tony began tentatively.

"What's it to you?"

"Well, I was hoping you could help council me with my own case."

Sam narrowed his eyes into tiny slits. "You honestly think I'll help you?"

His accusing tone irked Tony. At the Raft, Sam had seemed the most friendly out of all of Steve's accomplices. Now, he just appeared spiteful.

Tony leaned back into his chair with an air of nonchalance. "Alright, what imagined offense did I commit now?" he asked Sam flippantly.

"Imagined offense? You betrayed my trust!" Tony saw Sam jump out from his seat to lean over the camera angrily, his face enlarged threateningly on the display screen. "I gave you Steve's location and you attacked him! You tried to arrest him! And now you try to get him convicted for this bullshit 'spousal abuse'?! Who the hell do you think you are, Stark!"

"Genius billionaire playboy philanthropist," Tony replied automatically, and then winced internally. He shouldn't have said that; it was only going to antagonize Sam further. "I mean, sorry, that's not what I wanted to say."

Sam gave him a cold look. "No, I think you said _everything_ you could've wanted to say."

"No, Sam, wait! That's not what happened, okay? Things happened in Siberia that Steve didn't tell you about."

"And why should I believe _you_?"

Sam snorted disdainfully, and Tony took a moment to observe the man. He was not going to get through to Sam. Not like this. He had to change his tactics.

"Fair enough, you don't have to believe me. But I'm sure you can trust the files that SHIELD has compiled of me, right?" Sam still seemed to want to stubbornly ignore Tony's attempted outreach, but there was nothing else Tony could do and so he pushed on. "Look, I'll give you the number of Dr. Jemma Simmons; she works for SHIELD and she has the clearance to access them. If you ask her for my files, I'll make sure she gives them to you, okay?"

"What are you trying to pull, Tony?" Sam asked cautiously.

"Nothing. You can check Dr. Simmons' background if you like, and check the number I give you as well to see if it's untraceable or not. But read my files, Sam. If you still hate me after you've read them, I'll never bother you again. But if they make you change your mind about Siberia, then you know my number."

The call ended without either man saying goodbye to the other, but Tony hoped with everything he had that Sam would read those files.

xxx

 _ **Far, far away from Earth**_

"You come off that throne right now, Loki!"

Loki sighed at the rather dramatic figure that Thor posed in front of him, hammer held threateningly in one hand, and his other hand uplifted with his forefinger pointing accusingly at the trickster.

"If you say so... it was getting rather tiresome to play the Allfather, anyway."

* * *

TBC...


	21. If I don't hate him

**Chapter 21: If I don't hate him...**

Wanda was anxious to see T'Challa when the latter informed the outlaws that he would be returning to Wakanda by Saturday. She paced back and forth like a caged animal, waiting in front of the king's personal office, as Clint watched her move about uncomfortably.

"I'm not sure what happened last Thursday," he said. "But maybe you should sit down and have a cup of camellia tea."

"Why camellia tea?" she asked, although her thoughts were elsewhere.

"It's supposed to be soothing. Laura always gave me a cup after I returned from a mission."

"I don't need to calm down," Wanda said. The tiny red sparks flying around her, escaping her control, suggested otherwise. "I need an explanation."

Clint frowned. "An explanation about what?"

"She's referring to the video feed I showed her last Thursday. Am I right, Ms. Maximoff?"

The two whipped their head around at the sound of the king speaking.

Clint tensed up, as T'Challa casually passed him by. The man's footsteps had been so silent, that Clint had not noticed him approaching. T'Challa was good. Very good. He definitely did his superhero alias justice.

"What video feed are we talking about here?" he cautiously asked.

"One of my father's murderer giving his confession," said T'challa. "I felt it appropriate to show this to Ms. Maximoff, considering the conversation we had just before I left for New York."

He tried to open the door to his office, but it was blocked by the Scarlet Witch's powers.

"Why?" Wanda demanded. "Why can I not hate Stark!?"

"You _know_ why," T'Challa answered calmly.

Wanda balled her hands into fists and tiny sparks of red flew from them. Clint quickly took a step back. T'Challa also gave the sparks a wary look, but remained standing on his spot.

"Calm down, Wanda," Clint tried to soothe her, "you can hate Stark as much as you want." He then turned to T'Challa with an angry glare. "Look, after everything that Stark has done to us, to _her_ , I think Wanda's anger is justified."

T'Challa narrowed his eyes at the archer. "And what do you think Tony Stark has done that justifies her anger?"

"For starters," Clint argued, "the bastard locked Wanda up after she returned from Lagos. Just like that for no reason!"

T'Challa raised an eyebrow. "For no reason you say?"

"What reason could there possibly be!?" Clint yelled, but his frustration did not affect T'Challa. The young King regarded him coolly for a moment, and then turned back to try the door handle another time.

"Ms. Maximoff," he said, when he failed again, "if you would be so kind as to let me open the door. There's something else that I need to show you and Mr. Barton."

"is it another one of those video feeds?" Wanda asked quietly.

T'Challa shook his head. "No. Not a video feed. Simply an old news segment."

The office door was opened seemingly on its own.

"Come in." T'Challa commanded.

They followed him into his office, and T'Challa gestured for them to sit down in front of his desk as he himself went to turn on his computer. A few clicks later the large screen behind him flickered to life and was duplicating the images shown on his computer screen.

Clint looked at the large screen and raised a brow. "YouTube, really?"

The king ignored him. He typed in a few keywords: Watchdogs, Scarlet Witch. Then he clicked search and a whole slew of videos popped up. Clicking the first one on the list he turned on the volume and showed the two ex-Avengers the horrors that had been kept from them.

There was an enormous mass of people, most of them wearing a mask with the Watchdogs emblem, protesting on the streets. They were holding banners sporting Wanda's face with texts scrawled across them that said such things as 'Unnatural', 'Burn her' and 'Justice for Lagos'. It was the sound, however, that really made the skin of the ex-Avengers crawl.

"Burn the Witch! Burn the Witch! Burn the Witch!" sounded loudly from the sound system through T'Challa's office.

"This is the reason why Tony kept you in the Compound, Ms. Maximoff," said T'Challa as he observed the pale faces of his guests. "It was not safe for you outside."

At first, the words did not seem to register to Clint. He was hung up on the fact that T'Challa had called the genius billionaire 'Tony'. Not 'Stark', not even 'Anthony'. Plain and simple 'Tony'. That's what Tony's friends called him ― what _Clint_ used to call the man. Since when had Tony and T'Challa become so close?

Then the message sunk in, and Clint swallowed with difficulty before tearing his gaze away from the screen. "If that was the reason then why didn't Tony tell us?"

"Mr. Barton," said T'Challa, and he assumed a neutral expression on his face, "in the years you've known Tony, did you find him easy to get along with?"

Clint snorted. "Everyone knows Tony is an arrogant man with an ego the size of his Tower."

"I knew you would say that," said T'Challa, "but you're wrong on that account." He sat down on the opposite side of his desk. "I've been in Tony's presence these last few days working intensely with him on the new Accords and the A-SP2. In that time, I found that his ego was limited only to the inventions he's made, which he, I think we all can agree on, has every right to be proud of. In other situations, I find that Tony is actually quite humble."

Clint blinked in surprise. "Humble? Tony Stark? Are you sure we're talking about the same man here?"

T'Challa gave the archer a quick smile. "If I hadn't worked with him myself, I too would have thought him an arrogant man. Especially when he uses his quick tongue to fire off bullets; it _would_ make him seem like a complete show-off, who thinks himself better than everyone because of his intelligence;" T'Challa folded his hands, placing then on top of his desk; "the truth is, however, that Tony does not believe himself to be better at all. And that is exactly where the problem lies and why he is so difficult to get along with: he assumes that everyone is a genius like him."

"Okay…" Clint frowned. "So, that makes him difficult to get along with. But what does this all have to do with him not telling us about the reasons for Wanda's containment?"

The smile T'Challa wore on his lips morphed into something smugger. "As I said, Tony thinks _everyone_ is a genius. I believe he simply thought that you would understand why he had to contain Ms. Maximoff without needing any explanation."

Clint opened his mouth, but no sound came out as he was struck speechless. When he finally regained himself, he huffed in annoyance, muttering: "Poor communication definitely kills."

T'Challa sent Clint another quick smirk, before he schooled his features again. "Mr. Barton, I must ask you again, what do you believe Tony is guilty of that justifies Ms. Maximoff's anger?"

Clint was silent for a moment, as he finally gave himself time to reflect upon the question. "He threw us into the Raft…?"

Even as he said it, Clint was less certain of his answer. In the Raft, his anger had made the situation seem like a clear cut good-versus-bad scenario, but with the time he'd been given since then to think on the subject; not to mention, T'Challa's explanation of why Tony had contained Wanda, that it had been done for her _safety_ ; things seemed less black-and-white. Tony may be a jerk, but he was not evil.

"First off, Secretary Ross threw you guys into the Raft, not Tony," said T'Challa. "Secondly, may I point out the reason why you were thrown into the Raft in the first place? Namely the fact that you, in the process of aiding a mentally unstable terrorist in his escape, destroyed an entire airport? As far as I know, this is against the law of any country."

Clint gritted his teeth. "Then what about the fact that Tony created Ultron with Bruce, huh? That damn robot killed Wanda's brother!"

T'Challa raised an eyebrow. "Bruce?"

"Tony and Bruce experimented with that damn alien staff, which led to the creation of Ultron," Clint growled. "That's not the kind of PR the Avengers needed, so Fury told us not to say anything and that he would find someone to cover it up." Slumping forward, he added: "It doesn't matter now anymore, though. The Avengers are gone."

"If what you say is true, then why is Tony alone being blamed?" asked T'Challa. "Should Dr. Banner not also shoulder half the blame?"

"Bruce is gone. That makes Tony the only one we _can_ still blame."

T'Challa nodded once. "Very well. Let's say that Tony is to blame for the creation of Ultron. That still only makes him the inventor of the gun, not the one who shot it at Maximoff's brother. I also remember Ms. Maximoff telling me that Tony created Ultron by _mistake_. Considering all these factors, I must ask: should we now demand the death of all weapon designers?"

Clint blanched. "What? What do you mean by 'death'?"

"I was concerned for Ms. Maximoff after my last conversation with her," T'Challa revealed. "She told me how angry she was because of what happened to her family, and I do not blame her; I know what it feels like to have the people closest to you die brutally and unjustly; but I felt that her thought patterns became worrying when she expressed her desire to kill Tony."

Upon hearing that revelation, Clint felt his blood turn cold. He set his worrying eyes on Wanda. "Is this true?" he asked her.

Wanda looked away in shame. "I know that I shouldn't, but… if I don't hate _him_ , then who **can** I hate!? Who will pay for what happened to grandma and grandpa, and to my mother! And what about Pietro…?"

While the two men watched over her, Wanda crumbled in on herself. Another flash of red sparks emitted from her being as the tears fell from her eyes; and finally, finally, she confessed that which she had kept hidden all along.

"If I don't hate _him_ , then I'll only have _myself_ to blame for Pietro's death! I was the one who put the suggestion into Tony's mind; I pushed him to make Ultron; and I don't know how I can _live_ with that **guilt**!"

xxx

 _ **Far, far away from Wakanda**_

The spaceship that rose up in front of Loki and Thor's eyes was not nearly as impressive as the group waiting for them inside.

"Well," said Loki, "I already know the man hiding the raging beast, my dear brother. But as for your other companions… a Spartoi-half blood; a lady with the most beautiful skin-color I've ever seen; a warrior with a mind that's as straightforward as you are brutish; and lastly, a fur ball with his sentient houseplant… perhaps you could indulge my curiosity by introducing me to them?"

* * *

TBC...


	22. Mending bridges

**Chapter 22: Mending bridges**

No one was surprised when Clint walked out of the office without another word. Even to this day, he was still affected by what Loki had done to his free will. To hear that Wanda had actually tampered with Tony's mind that time to jump start the Ultron incident, was beyond the man's level of coping.

Exhaustion took over as her emotions ran haywire inside her heart, and Wanda buried her face in her hands in shame. "What can I do?" she cried. "I don't know how to move forward!"

"But you already did," said T'Challa. "You took the first step when you acknowledged your fears. Now you have to confront them and choose to do what's right."

He switched off the monitor behind him and sat down quietly with the Witch.

xxx

Clint was staring intently at the wall in front of him, when a knock on the door startled him from his memories. It was Shuri who was on the other side of the door.

"You have a phone call from your ex," she told him.

Clint's heart stilled.

His _ex_?

What the hell?!

xxx

Twenty minutes later, two guards of the Dora Milaje were escorting a struggling archer between them, as they were led by Shuri to T'Challa's study.

The King and the Witch looked up from their quiet contemplations when the door opened.

Alarmed at the scene, Wanda quickly rose from her chair. "What's going on!?"

"Mr. Barton was trying to break the communication system connected to Stark Tower," Shuri said by way of explanation.

T'Challa regarded the angry man calmly. Something had happened to the archer; he was even more upset now than when he'd left the office. "And _why_ was Mr. Barton trying to break the communication system connected to Stark Tower?"

"His soon-to-be ex-wife just informed him of their upcoming divorce."

At that revelation, Clint redoubled his efforts to break free from the Dora Milaje's hold. The look Shuri shot T'Challa, while the guards were struggling behind her, was scathing.

 _I told you they were trouble,_ her eyes told him. _But you just wouldn't listen to me, would you? Now look what your soft heart has led to!_

His sister's fury made T'Challa want to wince. He'd always known that, while she was less experienced than he, she was the more talented politician. He was good at the game, but she was a pure genius. She was more ruthless, more calculating, and also twice as cunning as he.

He'd already decided that one day he would give his crown to her. But not today. She was still young, and T'Challa wanted her to be free of a ruler's heavy responsibilities for just a bit longer.

Sending his sister an apologetic look, T'Challa simply said: "I see."

Then he looked at Clint, and he felt a tug of pity at his heart. His sister would likely disagree with him again, but T'Challa was not Shuri; in the end, no matter how much T'Challa made use of the logic he'd learned to embrace in his life, he was still ruled by his heart.

"Let the man go," he said.

Shuri looked like she wanted to protest, but T'Challa held up his hand to demand her silence.

"It's best that you leave. I can handle him."

When the Dora Milaje took their hands off the former Avenger and left with Shuri, Clint sank to his knees, crying in agony and pounding his fists on the floor.

xxx

"I have to go back," Clint said later on, when he'd calmed down enough to speak.

"Even if you go back, you cannot force Laura to return to your side," T'Challa warned him. "When you left her, even after you had promised to retire, you made your choice."

"I _know_ that!" Clint snapped. "I fucked up!" He rubbed a hand over his face and sighed. "I fucked up _again_... and I need to **apologize**."

"It's not just her and your children who deserve your apology," said T'Challa.

Clint looked at the King, and then it dawned on him. "Tony," he breathed out. His mouth twisted into another grimace. "Fuck! I fucked up with him! I called him a backstabber when he was only trying to keep everything together; blamed him for Ultron when…!" His eyes flickered to Wanda, and then he resolutely turned away in anger. "Fuck it all!"

His anger only made Wanda hate herself more. "I'm so sorry, Clint…" she whimpered.

"You _know_ how I feel about this, Wanda," he growled. "You _know_ it."

"I'm sorry!" Wanda cried.

"You shouldn't tell that to me," said Clint bitterly, "you should say it to Tony."

He heard her breath hitch behind him.

"You're right," she said. "I have to apologize to him. And to Vision as well."

He felt a hand touch his shoulder and when he turned around to face her again, he saw the determination in her eyes.

"Let's go back together. We can go via Sokovia; I know a route we can take to the United States from there."

Despite his anger at her, a spark of hesitation still erupted in Clint's chest for the Witch's sake. "But we're fugitives, Wanda," he pointed out. "It's too dangerous for you to―"

"Don't do that, please!" Wanda interrupted. "Clint, I know you mean well, but please don't shield me like that. I'm _not_ a child. I need to do this. To **grow up**."

xxx

There was no moon, nor any stars that night to light their way when Clint and Wanda left Wakanda with T'Challa's blessings.

The King prayed to Bast that she would protect the Hawk and the Witch under the cloak of darkness on their journey to repent; and that the broken bridges between them and Tony would be mended.

* * *

TBC...


	23. Apologies

**Chapter 23: Apologies**

"Boss...?"

Tony stopped his re-calibrations of the BARF, his senses on high alert as soon as he heard the hesitation in his AI's words. It was only recently that FRIDAY had picked up the more subtle tonal expressions of language and incorporated that into her algorithm for usage, but even so she had been surprisingly accurate in mimicking human emotions, displaying a faster learning capacity than even JARVIS had in his early days.

"What is it, FRIDAY?"

"There's been a breech into the security. Two of your old acquaintances have entered the Tower," the AI replied.

"And who might these acquaintances be?" Tony asked warily.

"…Clint Barton and Wanda Maximoff," FRIDAY answered haltingly.

Tony thought for a moment. Although Clint had hurt Tony's feelings with his words at the Raft and Tony wasn't happy with the fact that Wanda had broken Vision's heart, it wasn't them whom Tony had an actual problem with – that position was reserved for Captain Asshole – and Tony didn't want to make a problem where there was none.

Besides, the two ex-Avengers could be bringing along news that might be important to Tony. It was one of the reasons why Tony had not retracted their access to his properties, along with the fact that he did not fear them the way he feared Steve.

"Tell them to wait for me at the parlor on the third floor. And fix the security."

Tony quickly slapped his upgraded watch onto his wrist and set it to Danger Level 2. The watch would call his suit to him as soon as it sensed he was in danger even without FRIDAY's assistance, and in the meantime Tony could transform the gadget into a gauntlet to protect himself. It was a precaution that Tony hoped he wouldn't need to use, but he wasn't fool enough to leave himself unprotected after that debacle in the kitchen with Steve. Clint and Wanda were neither innocent nor powerless.

When he entered the parlor, he was surprised to find that his former teammates were not giving him the haughty look. He would've expected as much with how things had been left between them in the Raft. But they were standing there with awkward dispositions and shamed faces, sending him guilty glances.

It was rather confusing to Tony, who was not often on the receiving end of those looks, and the uncertainty irked him. In fact, it bothered him so much that his previous strategy of a careful, delicate approach flew out the window.

"So. I see you're back to breaking into people's houses, Barton," he said.

Clint winced at the backhanded comment. "Sorry about that. We would've waited outside if it were possible, but considering our, err... current status as fugitives... well."

"And how exactly is that my problem?"

"We came to apologize, Tony," Wanda cut in to de-escalate the tension.

Tony gave her a wary look, then crossed his arms and turned away in a rehearsed act of petulance.

"Just because you chose to apologize, doesn't mean I have to accept it, you know," he snapped angrily. He looked back, however, and added a quiet: "But I'm listening."

Clint and Wanda exchanged a look, and then Wanda decided to take the lead. "First, I want to apologize for hurting Vision while breaking out of the Compound," she said. "I didn't know how dangerous it was outside, until King T'Challa showed us a video of the Watchdogs."

"T'Challa?!" Tony said in surprise.

"It's because of him that we're here," Clint confessed. "He made us see how stupid and wrong we've been about some things. It's been a real wake-up call."

"T'Challa did this..." Tony muttered, and, deflating quickly, his defensive position washed away from him.

"We didn't know that you were keeping me in the Compound for my protection," Wanda said. "T'Challa made us realize."

"Maybe I should've said something," Tony replied, a grimace beginning to form on his lips. "Sorry about that."

"Well, maybe we should've just asked you for clarification first, instead of barging in and sending Vision through all those floors; and then destroy an entire airport," Clint pointed out.

Tony gave a nod. "Maybe. Although, honestly, I think you're apologizing to the wrong person here. This should be said to Vision instead."

"We were planning to apologize to him as well, as soon as we can find him," said Wanda.

"He'll be coming home later," Tony let them know. "He's out, giving my house guest another tour through New York."

An awkward moment passed between them. Then, sighing, he beckoned the others to come with him. "I'm sensing that this could take a while, so maybe we should take this to the kitchen."

When they arrived, Wanda and Clint sat down at the bar, while Tony served them a slice of leftover strawberry sponge cake from Vision and a cup of black coffee.

"Uhm... Tony? I want to apologize about what I said in the Raft," Clint began. "It was completely uncalled for. T'Challa said that Ross was the one who threw us in there."

Tony scowled. "I'm trying to take that bastard down, but he has a very strong hold on the White House. The Raft shouldn't even be legal, but it's still operating under Ross with the protection of several high standing clowns that we call 'politicians' vouching for him."

He grabbed a Tupperware box container from the fridge and a fork from the drawer, then sat down next to Clint. Pulling up the lid and throwing it aside, Tony dug with relish into a tossed salad with mango and shrimp.

He frowned when Clint and Wanda gaped at him with open mouths. "What?"

"Since when are you so healthy?" Clint demanded.

Tony shrugged. "Since Vision decided to think of cooking as his new career move." He popped another piece of mango into his mouth and hummed.

Wanda was the first to recover from her shock. "Tony," she said, "there's something else I need to apologize for."

Tony gave her an expectant look, while spearing a piece of shrimp to his fork. "Yeah?"

"I'm sorry for... for having invaded your mind to pull out your worst fears."

"You didn't just influence me," Tony pointed out. "You influenced all of us, except for Clint."

"And I apologized to everyone else. Well, not to Thor or Mr. Banner, because they left before I could. But you didn't. You were right here, and I could've apologized to you many times over, but I didn't." Wanda heaved a deep breath. "I didn't, because I still resented you for what happened to my family, but... but it was your company that made and sold the gun. It was someone else who pulled the trigger."

Her words eerily echoed the exchange he'd had with Steve in this very kitchen. That Bucky was the gun, but HYDRA was the one that took the shot which killed his parents. He understood intimately what kind of complicated feelings Wanda must have about him, because he had those same feelings about Bucky.

"Do you still resent me?"

Wanda hesitated for a moment, but then she shook her head. "I can't. Not anymore. I know how much it cost me to do so, and it is too much. It made me a person I don't want to be."

"I apologize for what happened to your family. If I could do it over, I would've fired Obadiah Stane and stopped Stark Industries' weapon production much sooner."

This is what he would have wanted to hear from Bucky. Not just that he remembered his parents' faces. But that he regretted being a part of what led to their deaths.

Wanda gave him a small smile and Tony felt as if they were finally moving forward, towards something better.

"You shouldn't be so hard on yourself, Tony," she said. "I know you blame yourself for Sokovia, but Sokovia wasn't your fault. It was mine much more than it was ever yours, because I was the one who influenced you to make Ultron."

"There's something I don't understand, though," said Clint. "I mean, how come I hadn't heard of this _before_? I had to hear about it in **Wakanda**!"

Tony blinked. "What?"

"That Wanda got into your head. I heard it from her when I was in Wakanda." Clint frowned. "Why didn't I hear of this before?"

"Oh." Tony shrugged and returned his attention to his salad. "Well, like I said, apart from you, we were all affected."

"And I heard from everyone about it afterwards, except for you," Clint pointed out.

"All the more reason not to say anything," Tony said. "None of you needed to deal with my drama on top of your own. You certainly didn't need to deal with it, considering the effects you still suffer from your encounter with Loki."

He put another forkful of salad into his mouth and chewed.

Clint gave him a flabbergasted look. "Seriously?"

Swallowing his food, Tony looked at the archer and frowned. "Did I say something wrong then?"

"Tony!" Clint protested hotly. "Your problems are _not_ drama! And they deserve just as much attention as everyone else's issues!"

"If you say so," Tony gave in easily. But everyone present knew that he was only indulging Clint to shut him up.

"Oh, by the way, I'm sorry about your divorce, Clint."

And although Clint hated that Tony deflected the attention away from his problems so easily, everyone in the kitchen also knew that Clint could never best Tony when it came to a war of words.

"I don't want to talk about Laura."

Tony got his way.

* * *

TBC...


	24. Trust

**Chapter 24: Trust**

There was a lull in the conversation after that, and Tony went back to eating his salad. He was glad that Wanda and Clint had come to him to apologize for the things they had done; and he was grateful to T'Challa, who had put all this effort into mending the relationship despite not even being a part of it. Tony was uncertain why T'Challa had done so much, but T'Challa was a rational man; Tony could trust the king to be impartial and, if not outright putting Tony's best interests at the forefront of his heart and mind, to have at least _considered_ them.

And that was really where the main problem between Tony and the former Avengers lay, wasn't it?

Swallowing the last bite of salad, Tony gathered the fork and Tupperware box and put them in the sink.

"Look," he said to Wanda and Clint, as he went to make himself a cup of coffee; "I appreciate that you two have come here to talk this out with me, it means a lot to me." He grabbed a mug from the cupboard, as he waited for the water in the coffee machine to come to a boiling point. "I also much appreciate T'Challa's thoughtfulness; without his involvement, we wouldn't be here right now, talking together like this. So, I don't want his efforts to go to waste."

The two fugitives were looking at him with hopeful eyes, which made Tony feel a bit uncomfortable about what he was about to say, but he pushed on. "I'll accept the apologies you made, but things can't return to the way they had once been."

It took a moment for Tony's words to sink in, but then he witnessed the painful realization slowly creeping into his former teammates' eyes.

"What do you mean, Tony?" Clint demanded.

"I meant that, should you guys decide to rebuild the Avengers, I won't become a part of that."

"B-but why!?" exclaimed the archer; and even Wanda appeared stricken by Tony's decision.

Tony raised an eyebrow. "'Why'?" he repeated. "It's obvious, isn't it? I don't belong with the Avengers."

"How can you _say_ that!? Of course you do!" Clint protested. "You're **our** Iron Man!"

Narrowing his eyes, Tony took in the man's agitation. "Do you trust me, Clint?"

"You know I do," said Clint, "I trust you with my life!"

"And with your gear," Tony added smoothly. A small flickering of light indicated that the water had finished boiling, and Tony pressed a button to let the black liquid he craved pour out of the machine. "But what about Wanda's containment? Did you trust me with that?"

Clint opened his mouth to protest, but he quickly realized that he couldn't think of any counterarguments. Hesitantly, he closed his mouth again.

"You see," said Tony, "the two of you don't trust me, not in the same capacity with which you trust Steve. When he calls, Clint, you come without a moment's hesitation. You even bring Ant-man to the party. But if I were the one calling you? You would've run it through with Fury first, you'd never have had my back if I randomly told you that I needed your help in a punching match with half the team."

"I— I'm sorry, Tony," Clint stuttered helplessly, but Tony shook his head.

"This isn't just you, Clint; this is the entire Avengers team. Even though Natasha chose my side where the Sokovia Accords were concerned, she allowed Steve to escape. She did it because she considers him her friend, but she'd never have done the same for me." Tony turned to look at Wanda, who had remained quiet. "You and Sam obviously wouldn't have chosen my side, if I were the one off on a wild goose chase and Steve the one vouching for the Accords."

A pained smile tugged at Tony's lips. "The truth is that _no one_ would've backed me up, if I were in Steve's position. Even Rhodey and Vision wouldn't choose my side, nor would T'Challa. They're all much too levelheaded to let our friendship sway them in such important decisions, and to be honest I'm kind of grateful for that, they _shouldn't_ let friendship cloud their decision making."

Tony sighed, as he picked up his mug of coffee, and took a sip, the bitter liquid scalding his tongue. "So, you see. Clint. Wanda. This is why things can't go back to the way they were. I no longer trust any of you. I'll accept your apologies, and if you need my help to catch a bad guy or save the world, I'll be there. But I can't be your friend."

He saw the tears welling up in Clint's eyes, and – _damn it!_ – he felt his own become misty in turn.

"Isn't there anything we can do?" Wanda asked, her voice a little choked.

Tony took in a deep breath, but shook his head resolutely. "Even now, I know you'd still choose Steve over me in every point or turn where I oppose him. You would choose him even over your own better judgement."

There was little warning given before Clint's empty mug broke on the floor in a loud crash.

"Fuck!" the archer yelled. He buried his face into his hands to hide the wet streaks running down his cheeks. "First Laura. Now you. Why can't I do anything **right**?!"

When he began to sob and Wanda placed a comforting hand on his arm, Tony quickly turned his back on the two. A throbbing emptiness threatened to eat him from the inside out, and his eyes were prickling, but Tony forced himself not to let a single tear fall.

His father had always told him that Starks don't cry.

* * *

TBC...


	25. About Steve

**Chapter 25: About Steve**

It always hurt when relationships didn't work out. It had hurt Tony deeply when Obadiah had betrayed his trust. It was still hurting that he and Pepper hadn't worked out, albeit on an entirely different level; Tony could see now that he and Pepper worked better as friends and considered her one of his closest. This break-up between him and his ex-teammates hurt no less.

But it was necessary.

His trust in the Avengers had been betrayed threefold.

As his friends they showed him that he'd been a mere afterthought to them; if it came down to picking sides between him or any other friend, his side would always be picked last. As his teammates they proved to be unreliable; they'd prioritized their friendship with Steve over their own common sense and judgment. And as heroes? They had failed entirely. After pledging to protect the people, they had shown the world that they'd rather serve their own interests and chase after their own agendas.

Even the power of forgiveness was not enough to overcome a threefold betrayal. That lack of trust could not be repaired by words alone.

Still, even though Tony had chosen to break off their relationship, he still cared about them. Those emotions wouldn't simply disappear just because he made a choice.

Clint's continued sobbing was getting to him.

The man was regretting and hurting, and his pain was affecting Tony.

"Hey, Clint," he said after a moment, "it will be alright."

"No, it— it won't," Clint hiccuped, "everyone is leaving me. Laura's divorcing me. Nat's gone. Now you're saying that we're not friends anymore. I'm losing everything and I can't do anything to fix it!"

"You still have Steve," said Tony, but Clint let out a bitter laugh.

"Yeah, right! Steve left. He just… he just changed one day. It 's like he wasn't even himself anymore. And then… and then, without a word, he just left us behind in Wakanda and disappeared."

The revelation made Tony's heart skip a beat.

 _Change? Surely not―_

"When you say the Cap suddenly changed, did it happen around Monday three weeks ago?"

That had been the right thing to say to make Clint stop crying. His eyes snapped into focus and he looked up at Tony questioningly. It was Wanda, however, who spoke his thoughts.

"How do you know this?"

"Well, uh… I might have made a call the night before," Tony answered them awkwardly.

"A call?"

Tony shrugged. "Steve send me a phone with that stupid letter and―" He stopped when he saw their befuddled looks. "―Steve didn't tell you about the phone?"

Expressions darkening, the two shook their heads.

"He didn't," said Clint.

"Ah, well." Tony fidgeted. "He send me a cell phone with a letter and told me to call him, so I did."

"What did you two talk about that caused Steve to change like he did?" asked Wanda.

Tony's spine stiffened. He could see that Wanda hadn't meant to, but even though she had voiced her question neutrally, it was essentially phrased in such a manner that it subtly put the blame for what happened on Tony's shoulders. She wasn't even aware that she was doing it, but the unconscious bias was there. Tony understood that it wasn't possible for Wanda to change those many years of build-up negative feelings against him overnight, even though she was regretting her past choices and had chosen to give up her hate for him. She was trying, but it would take more time for the bias to disappear.

He eyed her watchfully, while he considered his words. "Steve and I… we spoke of the same things that you and I have been talking about just moments ago. My conversation with him went less smooth however, than the one I'm having with you so far."

"So… you two argued?" Wanda guessed.

Tony nodded slowly. "You could say that."

"But…" Clint pointed out, "you and Steve _always_ argue. It wouldn't have fazed Steve to this extent, if it was just that."

Tony cleared his throat uncomfortably. "I did tell him that he could go fuck himself and to never contact me again."

A silent beat followed.

Then Clint hesitantly asked, "Does this, uh… have anything to do with that restraining order you have against him? And that whole media circus outside?"

"Possibly," Tony responded evasively.

"So, you and the Cap are―"

"― _ **Not** _ married," Tony interjected. The very thought made him feel sick.

Clint gave him a look. "Then why put a restraining order under 'spousal abuse'?"

Tony had repeatedly asked himself the same thing ever since that media circus had shown up in front of his Tower. It had been a stupid move to make, and he blamed it on the panic attack he'd suffered after Captain Asshole's visit. He should've filed the charge under 'unlawfully accessing private property' instead.

"FRIDAY made a mistake filing it," said Tony. His white lie unfortunately did not sit well with the AI.

"Boss," she protested, "you specifically ordered me to file the charge un―"

"Mute FRIDAY!" Tony cut in hastily.

This outburst caused his two guests to give him suspicious looks. He ignored them, however, in favor of specifying his order to his AI.

"I don't want to hear you unless it's a code red emergency, FRI."

When his AI remained silent afterwards, he let out a sigh of relief. He turned his attention back to Clint and Wanda. "I was drunk," he said by way of explanation. He knew, though, that the lie would not hold up to their scrutiny, and so he sourly added, "Quit pro quo. Unless you'll let me ask about Laura or your time with HYDRA, I don't want to talk about this."

They didn't push the matter further.

"Speaking of Steve…" Clint began, then hastily adding, "―but not the restraining order!" He fidgeted. "So, what happened in Siberia?"

The question instantly set Tony on guard. "What did Steve say that happened?"

Clint frowned thoughtfully. "Not much, he was rather evasive. He told us that you came to help him and Bucky, but that Zemo got to you. He said he fought you in Siberia and that he managed to dismantle your suit. Then, after he managed to subdue you, he and Bucky left with T'Challa, who had apprehended Zemo in the meantime. He wouldn't elaborate further than that."

"Do you believe the Cap?" Tony prodded.

Clint narrowed his eyes at Tony. "I know you're apprehensive to tell me things because I've shown nothing but bias towards the Cap up til now, and I'm really sorry for that, Tony. But even I can tell that Steve gave me an edited version of the events."

"Steve is very…" Wanda carefully chose her words, "...protective. I've noticed that he likes to shield us from things that could hurt our feelings. He knows Clint is sensitive about mind manipulations after being controlled by Loki, and didn't want to upset him. He also didn't tell me."

Tony laughed bitterly. "Oh, yeah, I know about Steve's brand of protectiveness alright. Got personal experience with it."

Wanda returned Tony's comment with a grim smile of her own. "I never bothered to correct Steve because I was too preoccupied dealing with adjusting to life as an Avenger, my brother's death, and―" she flashed the man a guilty look then, "―many things. But I know that Steve's brand of protectiveness wasn't good."

Tony let out a deep sigh at that. He left the coffee machine to return to his seat at the table, where he ran a tired hand through his hair, mussing it up. "Steve's version of the story..." he began, as he thought of how much he wanted to say to the two, "…is true."

He quickly decided that they did not need to know about his parents murder, or the fact that Steve had technically killed Tony in Siberia. He wasn't going to drag Steve's name down into the mud. At this point telling would serve no one's purpose: his mother wouldn't come back; it would only create rifts between his former friends and spread more fear around. He didn't want that.

"Zemo didn't brainwash me the way he did with Barnes, Clint. But he did manage to get to me badly. He manipulated me like an expert puppeteer. Steve and I then fought and Steve…"

The memories of a shield raised over his head flashed in front of his eyes and Tony felt the beginnings of a panic attack coming up as his hands began to tremble. He tightened his grip around his mug to stop the shaking.

 _Not now._

"Steve left with Bucky."

The words were pushed out through Tony's clenched teeth. Clint and Wanda noticed how out of it their host suddenly seemed.

"Tony…?" Wanda asked warily, the turmoil inside him so strong that it began to pull at her powers.

"DON'T!" Tony yelled.

A red spark ignited and Tony's mug of coffee exploded, spilling hot liquid over his hand. The pain brought him out of his memories and he cursed, running to the sink to put his hand under the tap. Ice cold water hit his skin to soothe the aching burns.

Silently, Tony both thanked and cursed Wanda's lack of control over her powers. She had stopped his panic attack, but she had connected with his emotions. How much did she know?

Tony let out another curse.

 _I need to take control of this._

"Look," he said. "Everything Steve told you is true, that's all you need to know. As for details… he and I did not part amicably. We fought and it wasn't like the punching match we had at Leipzig airport, okay? It was brutal. That's why he didn't want to tell you."

He glanced back at them, only to find Clint looking at him with disbelief and growing horror in his eyes.

"Brutal?" Clint said. "In comparison to Leipzig airport, where Rhodey lost his goddamn _legs_ , this was **brutal**? What the _fuck_ happened in Siberia!"

Fuck.

Tony gritted his teeth.

"Captain America showed me what he was capable of, so I filed a restraining order against him. Let's just leave it at that."

* * *

TBC...


	26. Consequences

**Chapter 26: Consequences**

They appeared to be at a standstill. Clint continued to look at Tony expectantly, but Tony was unwilling to budge even an inch. Siberia was still too painful to talk about.

"Tony," Clint demanded. "Tell us what happened."

It had _not_ been the right thing to say. The tone that Clint used on Tony, unyielding and presumptuous in its entitlement, raised Tony's hackles. Hindsight allowed Tony to see that it had been exactly _this_ attitude which denoted that Tony had never truly been considered a friend by his ex-teammates. The Avengers had always demanded too much of him, yet given back so little.

"Let me be very clear on this, Clint," he said. "What I told you just now was a _favor_ from me to you. But you and I are **not** friends. I don't _owe_ you any explanation."

He would've told Clint, had Clint still been his friend. He'd told Rhodey after all. And Vision. Pepper and Happy. But Clint was no longer Tony's friend, and Tony didn't trust Clint with the wound in his heart.

Scowling, he turned off the water tap and made to leave. "If this is all you want to talk about with me, then I think we're done."

In that split second, Clint realized the mistake he had made. Unaware of how fragile the peace between them was, he'd driven Tony over the edge.

"Wait!" he called out, running after Tony to grab him by his wrist. "I'm sorry! Please, don't go. Even if you don't consider me your friend anymore, I don't want us to part like _this_!"

Tony considered the other for a moment. Clint's red eyes and the wetness still clinging from his lashes were remaining evidence to remind Tony of the breakdown this man had experienced mere minutes ago. And with the palpable desperation surrounding Clint, it was obvious to Tony that new tears could threaten to spill at any moment.

Tony made a split-second decision.

"I'll stay, if you have anything worthwhile to say to me," he answered coolly. "But you should take your hands off of my person though—"; he pointedly looked down at his wrist that was still locked tightly in Clint's grasp; "—because it's beginning to hurt."

Clint's reaction was immediate: with a jolt, he let Tony go. He then stared at his own hand with utter perplexity, as if he couldn't quite believe his own lack of self-control. When he looked back up, he saw that Tony had rolled his sleeve up and was inspecting the skin of his wrist. Sure enough, to Clint's horror there was a bruise forming in the shape of his own hand print.

"I…" he choked out.

The look Tony gave Clint was that of cold civility. "You're sorry. I _know_." He gently began to nurse his own wrist, rubbing the spot that ached the most. "I'm fine, Clint. But this does remind me of something that I think you two—" he quickly threw a sideways glance at Wanda then, "—need to hear."

Sitting back down at the table, Tony gazed at each of them impassively. "I learned a lesson from my experiences in Leipzig and Siberia. Or the 'Civil War', as the media likes to dub it; and, yeah, I know, it's a stupid name, but whatever; the media has always been incompetent as far as I'm concerned. Anyway, I _learned_. I learned that people under pressure become capable of things they never would've considered under normal circumstances." Tony's expression turned grim. "I learned that when emotions run high, heroes and monsters are born."

Tony lifted his arm up to show Clint his bruised wrist. "This is what you're capable of, Clint." He turned his attention to Wanda then, who lowered her head in embarrassment. "I think you already know what you're capable of."

Having proven his point, Tony sat back and crossed his arms. "All of us made mistakes during our little 'Civil War'. We can't change those mistakes, but the point now is that we learn from them. I did — but did you?"

"I…"

Clint thought of his actions. He'd left his family without a thought as soon as Steve had called him. He'd broken into the Compound to save Wanda, not knowing why she was being held there. He'd roped Ant-man into joining Steve's cause, but… even now, he wasn't certain what exactly the fight had been about.

"I'm too rash," Clint realized.

"Yes, you are," said Tony. "What are you gonna do about it, though?"

"I guess…" Clint's eyes flickered to Tony's wrist, his cheeks burning with shame. "…anger management perhaps? Therapy?"

"That's a good start, I think." Tony gave him an encouraging smile.

The two men then turned to Wanda expectantly. Sensing their heavy gazes on her, Wanda steeled herself before raising her head back up with determination. She returned their stares with her own look: unwavering and clear in intent.

"Before I left the Compound, I said to Vision that I can't control other people's fears. But I realize now that I was wrong. I _can_ control it. When I act recklessly people will naturally fear me. But if I show them that I mean well, I can quell their fears."

She paused for a second, taking a deep breath to prepare herself for what she was about to say next.

"Right now, the only way I know how to show everyone that I mean well is by accepting the consequences of my actions. The people I wronged must be given justice and I need to repent for my mistakes. So, I'm planning to turn myself in."

The revelation she dropped onto the two men without any warning on her part had them in various states of speechlessness. Tony found himself impressed by her willingness to own up to her mistakes and do the right thing. Clint, however, was stunned by the sudden pain he felt welling up in his heart. He broke the silence that had fallen over them by stating what was becoming all too obvious: —

"You're leaving me too."

Wanda licked her lips hesitantly, unsure of what to say to the man. "I'm sorry, Clint."

Clint took a deep breath, then nodded slowly even as a few tears once more escaped from his control. "I don't like it… but I understand."

"You're doing the right thing, Wanda," said Tony. "But I suggest you hold off on it for the moment and hide out here in the Tower."

That was certainly not the reaction, Wanda expected from the man.

She frowned. "What do you mean? If I hide from my mistakes now, I'll be hiding forever. I'm not a coward! I _won't_ dodge my consequences!"

"And I didn't say you should dodge them; but with the way this country is headed, I don't trust our justice system will give you a fair trial," Tony pointed out, scowl firmly set on his face.

Wanda bit her bottom lip. "Then… what _should_ I do?"

"While you hide in my Tower, I'll make a few arrangements," said Tony. "I'll get you a decent lawyer and find a way to smuggle you out of here — straight to The Hague."

"The Hague?" Wanda uttered, a little bewildered.

It was Clint who caught on to Tony's intentions. "You plan to send her to the International Criminal Court," he said, sniffing as he rubbed at his eyes with his left hand, "but the United States doesn't recognize the ICC."

"Honestly, I don't give a fuck anymore what the United States does or doesn't recognize," said Tony. "The ICC may have its own share of problems, but there are more than one-hundred-and-twenty sovereign states, including Sokovia, supporting it. With a multitude of competing agendas from every member-state, I think the chances of any one of them gaining a major influence in Wanda's trial should be small, which makes them a good choice to send Wanda to." Tony turned to ask the Witch herself. "What do you think of getting trialed by the ICC, Wanda?"

Seeing no downside to Tony's ideas, she ultimately agreed. "I think it's a good plan."

"Good." Tony stretched and stood up. "I need a new coffee. Oh, and speaking of me sending you to Europe, I think I should introduce you to my guest when he gets back. His name is Charles and he's planning to support the A-SP2. I'm thinking you should be the first to enroll into our program."

"But…" Wanda hesitated. "I'm going to prison, aren't I?"

"Not necessarily," said Tony. "It's Europe. Many sentences there are carried out with an ankle monitor. And by the way, I can (if you want) make you the best and most comfortable ankle monitor in the world. Anyway," Tony gave Wanda a pointed look, "what do you think will happen when you've sat out your sentence? You still can't control your powers. What if another incident like Lagos happens? Are you gonna go back to jail again? And _then_ what? Get out and get into yet another accident? No-no, Wanda, when you go to Europe, I'll have Charles accompany you."

Grabbing a new mug from the cupboard, Tony turned to address a security camera hanging from the ceiling. "FRIDAY?"

"…"

The AI did not respond.

"FRIDAY, don't be childish."

"You instructed me to be silent, Boss," the AI protested.

"Yeah, yeah, you can talk again, okay? Now, get Dum-E to clean up this mess on the floor."

xxx

When Matt returned home at 3AM, he did not expect a phone call, but he picked it up anyway.

"Murdock speaking."

"Hello Mr. Murdock. This is Tony Stark."

Well, he certainly did not expect the person on the other side of the line to answer with _that_. Matt did **not** appreciate late-night prank calls. Especially after he'd been beating up criminals all night.

"Funny. I'm hanging up."

"Not yet, Daredevil."

Matt stiffened.

"Have I gotten your attention yet?"

Matt tightened the grip on his phone. "Who's this?"

"Like I said, I'm Tony Stark. By the way, if you listen carefully, you can hear me talking outside of your apartment."

Matt frowned, but did as he was told. Sure enough, right under his window there was the heartbeat of a man sitting in a Ferrari with its engine still running. A window rolled down and the man peeked his head out of it.

"Hi there, Mr. Murdock!"

Without the phone altering the sound of his voice, Matt recognized the man immediately. It was Tony Stark alright, the genius-billionaire-playboy-philanthropist himself in the living flesh.

Fuck. He did _not_ expect this.

"So, I have an offer that you might be interested in; and I know you're attached to Hell's Kitchen and all, but I hope you'll like The Hague too and say yes."

* * *

TBC...


	27. A son and a daughter

**Chapter 27: A son and a daughter**

When Tony returned to the Tower from his nightly visit to the Devil of Hell's Kitchen at 4AM, he was surprised to bump into his house guest.

"You're up late," he said.

"Actually," said Charles, "Vision and I just returned."

"Mr. Xavier taught me how to mix twenty-five different types of cocktails," said Vision, just as he appeared from the other side of the door with a glass of water in his hand.

"Are you turning my Vision into an alcoholic?" Tony asked Charles.

Vague amusement lingered in the tone of his voice, but it was muddled with a hint of anxiety. Tony trusted Vision not to be like himself, but Tony hadn't forgotten that time when he had almost died of Palladium poisoning. In a moment of weakness, Tony had succumbed to the tempting call of alcohol. It made him feel just a bit antsy remembering it.

Charles, however, waved Tony's concern off with one hand, as he used his other to accept the glass of water Vision had gotten for him. "Viz here is a strapping young android who needs to experience New York's night scene once. I'm surprised _you_ haven't introduced him to it."

"Well, I'm technically his guardian, so I need to pretend that I'm a responsible adult for Viz. I'm surprised _you_ did, though. Aren't you a bit, err… old?"

Charles snorted. "My wild days at Oxford are legendary and I daresay they could even rival your well-published parties in outrage, if not grandeur."

For a moment Tony appeared utterly speechless. When he finally managed to gather himself again, he said: "Please, take me with you the next time you go out."

Charles smirked. "Deal."

They were about to part ways when Tony remembered that he still had something to inform the two of: —

"By the way, there's someone I want you both to meet tomorrow."

Tony's gaze came to rest on Vision to make an assessment of the android's emotional state.

"Hawkeye and the Scarlet Witch have returned. Barton hasn't made any definite plans as of yet, but Maximoff is going to turn herself in. They came back because they have something to say to you, Viz, that I think you need to hear."

The look the android gave Tony was a conflicted one. It was rare for Vision to display his emotions so openly on his features, so Tony knew that he was not taking the news well. Still, it was necessary for Vision to hear Clint and Wanda out, because Vision deserved an apology from them.

Deciding that Vision needed some time to figure things out for himself, Tony turned his attention to the telepath: "I'd also like to ask you, Charles, if you could accompany Ms. Maximoff to the ICC when you go back to Europe. I don't know how her powers work, but I figure you'd probably be the best person to help her with this. She's had a standard SHIELD-agent training course from Romanoff before, but… her lack of control over her powers makes her dangerous to both herself and the people around her. I want you to train her."

Charles raised a brow. "You're saying you want her to be the first candidate for the A-SP2."

Tony shrugged. "She could test pilot the program. Besides, I do want her to be well-integrated as soon as she's sat out her sentence."

"I'll meet her tomorrow morning once I've slept off the hangover," Charles promised.

Tony blinked. "You're drunk?"

Charles gave him a cheeky wink. "You couldn't tell I was?"

And he left Tony to his own thoughts.

xxx

Tony felt rather off when he came to the kitchen the next morning to find it empty. Vision had been making him breakfast for the last few months, but the android had obviously decided to hide from Wanda. Steeling his nerves, Tony went to the coffee machine to make himself the black liquid he craved every morning.

Just as the water had finished boiling, Wanda came into the kitchen.

"Morning…" she said awkwardly.

"Morning," Tony returned, feeling just as out of his depth.

Nervously, Wanda sat down at the kitchen table, looking anywhere but at Tony. For his part, Tony avoided her gaze just as studiously in turn, keeping his eyes on his mug that was filling up with coffee.

"Do you, ah… want some pancakes?"

"You have pancakes?" Wanda asked hesitantly.

"No, but I can make some," said Tony, and he went to the fridge to grab a carton of eggs.

Fifteen minutes later, the smoke alarm was screeching throughout the Tower and Clint stormed into the kitchen wearing nothing but his underwear, a bow in one hand and a holster with arrows strapped to his back. "Is everyone alright?" he demanded.

"Well, this pancake sure isn't," Tony concluded.

Blinking, Clint took in the scene in front of him. There was egg and flour covering the entire kitchen counter, while Tony was busy scraping a blackened pancake off of the frying pan without much success. Meanwhile, Wanda was keeping the robots entertained to prevent them from using the fire extinguisher in the kitchen.

"It's a good thing Rhodey isn't here, or he'll lecture my ears off about cooking without proper supervision."

Clint gave Tony the most baffled look yet. "How do you even survive?"

"Take-out, Rhodey, Happy, Pepper, and Vision," Tony neatly summed up.

Clint opened his mouth, but he didn't know what to say to that. Sighing then, he shook his head and pointed to the table. "Why don't you sit down, Tony, and let me make breakfast?"

Another fifteen minutes later, Charles wheeled himself into the kitchen just as Clint was serving up some of the most delicious blueberry pancakes.

"Well, well. I wouldn't mind being serviced like this more often," he commented, as he looked Clint up and down.

Tony blinked. Wanda shifted. Clint was unperturbed.

"I feel like I shouldn't be all that surprised, considering how you led Vision astray last night," Tony commented, shaking his head.

The telepath grinned and stuck out his hand for Clint to take. "I'm Charles Xavier."

Clint put the plate of pancakes down and grasped the other man's hand into a firm shake. "Clint Barton," he introduced himself.

"Is it a habit of yours to walk around in the kitchen wearing only an apron and boxer shorts?" Charles asked cheekily.

"No," Clint responded dryly.

"Oh, that's too bad. I'm almost positive that you could win your wife's heart back, if you did this for her every morning."

Just as Charles was about to let Clint's hand go, the archer tightened his grasp on the telepath.

"What do you know about my wife?" Clint said, the tone of his voice dropping to subzero.

"Clint!" Tony cried, jumping up from his seat and rushing over. "Let him go, he doesn't know anything!" He grabbed Clint by his arm in case the other decided to do something he might regret. "Let him go, Clint," he repeated. "Do you remember what we said yesterday about you being too rash?"

There was a moment, when Tony thought that he needed to call for his suit. But then, slowly, Clint let the other man go.

"I'm sorry," he muttered, though he did not seem to have calmed down yet. Charles, however, did not appear to mind.

"It's alright; and I must apologize as well for bringing up something so sensitive. It's just that you're projecting very loudly to me right now that you're going through a breakup."

When Tony was sure that Clint would not attack the other man again, he let the archer's arm go with a sigh. He could tell that today was not going to be a good day; things were already getting messier by the minute.

No sooner had Clint gone to take a seat at the table, when Wanda suddenly spoke up.

"You're a telepath too," she said with growing realization.

Charles nodded. "I am, yes. By the way... Charles Xavier. I'm pleased to meet you." He offered his hand in greeting.

"Wanda Maximoff," said Wanda, reaching out to take hold of his hand. "Pleased to meet you t— !"

In that moment, something happened.

When their fingers touched, a buzz of energy surrounded them, creating an unpleasant electrical current in the room that could be felt even by its non-powered occupants. The two suddenly connected and glimpses of each's memories forced themselves without warning into the other's mind, revealing to the both of them a secret that had not yet been known to either before.

Then, a red spark ignited and exploded, causing all occupants of the room to be pushed back by force.

Charles was thrown out of his wheelchair. Wanda's back made a dent into a wall. Clint banged his arm against a corner of the kitchen sink. And Tony crashed into the cupboard, destroying it and all the mugs inside.

"Ugh…" Tony moaned. "Really, Wanda, we need to talk about those powers of yours. This can't keep happening again!"

When he crawled out from underneath the ruins of the cupboard, however, he knew that now was not the time for that talk. He looked from one side to the other, seeing the confusion emanating from Wanda and utter disbelief in Charles' eyes.

"You knew my father?" she said.

"You're Erik's daughter," he breathed out from where he lay on the floor.

* * *

TBC...


	28. A confrontation

**Chapter 28: A confrontation**

A distinctly uncomfortable silence fell over the kitchen. Apparently, Charles had known Wanda's father, who had left their mother shortly after the twins had been born. Wanda herself remembered nothing of her father, except for a name, a picture of his face, and what her mother had told her of him.

The picture had been destroyed along with Maximoff's house and family in Siberia.

Tony had tried to track the man down, when Wanda had told the Avengers of her missing father, but the name Erik Lensherr had pulled up precious little useful information on the internet. In fact, the only mention of the name that FRIDAY had found was a registered name at the Auschwitz concentration camp of a Jewish child, and a list of gruesome tests, which no human could have possibly survived, done to that boy, all in the name of science and medical advancement.

Tony had given up on the search after that, but now he began to wonder if perhaps...

"Mr. Stark, are you alright? I sensed the explosion."

A concerned Vision passed through the ceiling to land in front of him.

"I'm fine," Tony assured the android. "But the kitchen isn't."

Vision gave his surroundings a cursory scan, before saying: "Mr. Rhodes will likely be unhappy when he finds out how many mugs have been broken this week."

"Let's keep it a secret, shall we?" Tony pulled his cell phone from his pocket. "I'll buy some to replace them."

Before he could unlock the screen to trawl the internet, however, his cell phone began to ring. Tony felt his mood take a further plunged into the depths of hell.

"Shit! Why is that clown calling me now?"

"Who?" asked Vision.

"Our favorite General Thunderbolt! Well, okay, it's Secretary of State now, but Secretary Thunderbolt sounds stupid."

Sighing loudly, Tony picked up the phone. "I'm a little busy, Secretary," he said, ignoring the fact that he was very rude right now.

"Mr. Stark," the man at the other side of the line sounded rather stilted."I just wanted to make sure you're not trying to worm your way out of our meeting, like you did last time."

"I didn't try to 'worm' my way out last time," Tony said. He did, actually, but what Thunderbolt didn't know, wouldn't hurt him. "I had urgent business."

"I'm sure you did," the Secretary spat. "Be there at twelve, or I'll come to your Tower."

With a click, the line went dead.

"Should I come with you?" Vision asked, but Tony shook his head.

"I think there are two people who'd like to talk to you for a bit," he said, jerking his head to the two people in question to indicate who he meant.

Although Vision's expression remained neutral, the shift in his stance told Tony that he was nervous. But Tony knew that Vision should confront whatever fears he held for them and hear the two out, because Vision deserved to get the apology that Wanda and Clint were going to give him.

He patted the android on the shoulder. "I have to go now, but, if you need me, you can talk to me when I come back."

xxx

"Mr. Stark," said Ross.

"Secretary," Tony returned with cold civility. He went to sit at the empty table of the conference room. "So, let's get straight to business. I still haven't tracked the whereabouts of Rogers, but I'm on it."

It wasn't exactly a lie. He knew that Steve was hiding out somewhere in the United States, but he did not know in which location he currently resided. FRIDAY was tracking his movements, but Tony was certain that Steve was doing everything he could to throw her off, because she kept being one step behind the man out of time.

Tony had to give it to his father; the serum had made Steve a highly intelligent and adaptable man. He had mastered the use of modern gadgets and weaponry in a matter of mere weeks; spoke foreign languages fluently after a month of study; and although he would never be a master spy like Fury or Natasha, he had still completed the standard SHIELD training in a breeze.

The only thing that Steve had not been able to adapt to was the modern mindset. He'd remained stuck in his 40s values, and that was probably the main reason why Tony, out of all the Avengers, had clashed with him the most.

Well, adaptable Steve may be, but eventually FRIDAY would catch up to his patterns of movement. No super soldier was going to beat Tony's AI, or Tony was going to strike genius out of his self-styled genius-billionaire-playboy-philanthropist title.

"And I promise you, when I've tracked the fugitives down, I will have justice served to them."

That wasn't a lie either. It just wouldn't be the kind of justice that Thunderbolt wanted to mete out. Tony would conform to international standards instead.

Thaddeus Ross let out a soft snort. "I'm sure you will, Tony," he said and the casual, informal addressing he used set Tony on edge. Ross had been pissed at him for not bringing Team Cap in for months now, breathing down his neck about them whenever he could. This was a one-hundred-and-eighty degrees change.

"Well, if that's all, then I think we're done," said Tony.

He tried to stand up, but was pushed back down into his chair by the Secretary.

"Not yet. There are some other matters I need to discuss with you." Ross kept his hands pressed firmly on Tony's shoulders. "First off, I need you to stop with pushing those Superhero Accords of yours. They are a waste of everyone's time. The Sokovia Accords amended with the Registration Acts will serve to regulate superhero activities just as well."

Tony leaned his head back to look up at the Secretary. "You're joking right?"

But Ross ignored his comment. "Secondly, I need you to stop spreading falsities about my person." He bent down until his face was hovering just inches over Tony's own. "You got that?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Tony replied crossly.

"Oh, I think you do," said Ross. "I may not have any proof yet, but I've always trusted my gut. And my gut is telling me that you're the one spreading nasty rumors about me all across the internet."

"If I did spread any information about you," said Tony, "it would be the truth."

"You'd better stop it, if you know what's good for you," Ross threatened, but Tony scoffed.

"You should know from my reputation by now that I never did learn to do what's good for me."

"Then you'd better learn quickly now."

"Yeah? And why should I?" Tony challenged the man.

Ross narrowed his eyes at him. Smirking, he purposefully lowered his head, causing Tony to flinch when their noses touched. Then, he tilted his head slightly, leaned down even further, until his lips were brushing softly against Tony's left ear. And to Tony's horror, he whispered: ―

 _"I don't care. He killed my mom."_

Pulling himself back up, Ross let go of Tony's shoulders.

* * *

TBC...


	29. The right thing to do

**Chapter 29: The right thing to do**

Ross knew.

Somehow, Ross knew what had transpired in Siberia.

God, Tony felt himself becoming sick.

How could Ross know? Who told him?

It certainly couldn't be the good Captain and his best friend; if they'd been captured, FRIDAY would have known and alerted Tony. His friends wouldn't have told Ross and Tony did not believe T'Challa to be the kind of man to tell Ross anything either, especially considering all the things T'Challa had done for him recently.

That left only Helmut Zemo. The bastard must have told Ross what had happened…

No.

If Zemo had only _told_ Ross about the fight, Ross wouldn't have known something so specific as what Tony had said right before he'd punched Steve in his face. He must have seen it. Zemo must have pointed him to the videos Coulson had recovered from Siberia and saved at the SHIELD database.

Oh, God. Ross had seen Tony at his weakest.

Ross had seen what happened to his poor **mother**!

And then Tony did become sick.

Right at that conference room. Right in front of Ross. He threw up the pancakes he'd had that morning, causing the Secretary to hurriedly take a few steps back in disgust. The mess that he left on the floor entrenched the entire conference room with a sour stench, but Tony was hardly aware of it.

Ross had _seen_ his mother get killed!

He'd seen his mother get killed!

His mother got killed; Ross had seen!

It kept repeating over and over in Tony's head like broken record, and Tony buried his hands into his hair, pulling hard to keep himself from going mad. He couldn't think straight anymore. He couldn't think anymore at all.

As Tony panicked, Ross calmly went to sit at the head of the table. He'd been in the army before and he had seen the same signs displayed in Tony of what many men had gone through before him. It was a textbook example of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. Good. That made the other man easier to manipulate.

"So. I believe we've come to an agreement then, Tony?"

Tony did not answer and Ross frowned.

 _He must be too caught up in those memories._

As much as Ross loathed Tony for the disrespect the billionaire regularly threw at him, on some level Ross still felt pity for the man. An Enhanced Being had killed his mother. And his Enhanced teammate had betrayed him and beaten him to a bloody pulp for the sake of another Enhanced individual.

And that was exactly the reason why Ross had to put the Registration Act into effect. By force, if necessary.

Tony Stark wouldn't understand this. He'd proven himself to be too much like Ross' own daughter and Ross' soulmate. Too soft.

But just like Betty and Matthew, Tony could be controlled. Ross would do it.

No matter how cruel his manipulations were, Ross knew that he was acting in their best interest. What he did was necessary. What he did was for the safety of America.

Ross stood back up and pulled out an unopened packet of paper tissues. He walked over to Tony, tapped the other on the shoulder, and then dropped the packet onto the table in front of him.

The motion seemed to dispel the panic attack from Tony.

The man blinked, dropping his hands to his side and looking uncomprehendingly at the offering.

"Clean yourself up. I'll have a glass of water brought up for you," Ross said, and that was the magic spell to wake Tony up.

He quickly pulled a tissue from its plastic entrapment, and wiped at his mouth. The distinct realization that he had embarrassed himself in front of Ross of all people pricked at the forefront of his mind.

Ross was going to use this against him. Tony just knew it.

He turned to stare at Ross as the man left the conference room to get him that glass of water. The door clicked shut and Tony's mind raced to catch up with the situation he now found himself in.

First, Ross knew everything. Ross had the videos of his parents' murder and of Tony's fight with Rogers and Barnes in Siberia. Secondly, Ross was forcing Tony to stop releasing his dirty laundry and withdraw support from the Superhero Accords.

The threat Ross made was obvious: if Tony did not comply, then Ross would release those videos. Everything would be exposed to the public. They would know what had happened in Siberia. They would know and the would fear. The possibility of mass hysteria leading to the persecution people with superpowers would grow exponentially.

Oh, hell. Who was he trying to fool?

This wasn't about the possibility of mass hysteria from the public. It had never been about the public; it had always been about himself. His own personal fears. The pain of his past. He was afraid to confront these memories. He wanted to bury them deeply and forget about them.

If he stood up to Ross, the man would release those videos and Tony's deepest wounds would be ripped open for the public to gawk at. Releasing those videos could also potentially lead to mass persecution of all people with superpowers.

If, on the other hand, he gave into his fears and obeyed Ross, then Ross would withhold the release of those videos. The trade-off, however, would be that General Thunderbolt remained in power, which made the persecutions of people with powers not just be a possibility but an absolute certainty.

There was no debate to be had here. Tony could not sacrifice the rights of millions just to spare himself from getting hurt; if that was how Tony operated, then he wasn't worthy of being Iron Man; and Tony had already chosen to be Iron Man long ago. He would not back down.

When Ross re-entered the conference room, Tony had already made up his mind.

Taking the glass from Ross' hand, Tony helped himself to a mouthful of water. He swished the cool liquid around, letting it soothe his nerves and cleanse his mouth from the filthy taste of his vomit, then walked to a corner of the room where he spat the water out into the pot of a tall glossy-green plant.

 _Zamioculas Zamifolia,_ he noted idly. _Poor plant. You don't deserve my abuse._

Straightening himself back up, he turned to Ross and said: "I can't do it."

Ross frowned. "Excuse me?"

"I can't do what you asked of me," Tony reiterated; and he knew he had pissed Ross off, when the man marched up to him and pushed him against the wall.

"I don't think you understand your position here, Stark. If you don't do as I say, I'll –"

"You'll release the videos to the public?" Tony looked up to meet the man's furious expression.

"You think I won't?"

Tony narrowed his eyes. "I know you will."

Reaching up, he placed his empty hand against Ross' chest, then pushed the man with all the strength that he had, causing the Secretary to stumble backwards.

"Go on, Ross! Show the world what kind of pathetic man Tony Stark is! He's a second-rate hero who can't win against Rogers in a fight, and a second-rate friend who can't compare to Bucky Barnes! Even his own father thinks he's a second-rate son; he so pathetic compared to the great Captain America that his old man won't even spare him a second of his time!"

Seething in anger, Tony hurled his glass of water onto the black marble surface of the floor, causing shards of glass and drops of water to scatter everywhere.

"Go on and do it, Ross! Rip open my emotional scars, smash my reputation to smithereens, and then trample upon what's left of it! It still won't change my choice! I won't stop supporting the Superhero Accords and I won't stop digging until I've found and released all your filth to public! And you know why? Because people deserve to know! Because it's the **right** thing to do!"

Having said his piece, Tony stalked past Ross, intent on leaving.

"You mark me as your enemy and I'll make you regret this, Stark," Ross called out behind him. "I will crush you like the bug you are!"

"I'll come back like a cockroach!" Tony shot back, before slamming the door shut behind him.

When he reached his car, his nerves had been wound up so tight that he felt like he would snap. He wanted to have a drink.

"Damn it!"

He kicked the front wheel of his car once, before yanking open the door and crawling behind the driver's seat. He knew he couldn't ride home in his current state of mind, and so he took a deep breath, rummaging through his pockets for his cellphone.

When he found it, he quickly scrolled through his list of numbers, and pushed step two of his plan into motion: Ross was going down.

The phone was picked up after the first ring. "Alias Investigations, Jessica Jones here; how may I help you?"

"Ms. Jones? You're speaking with Tony Stark. I'd like to hire you for a job."

* * *

TBC...


	30. Emotions aren't logical

**Chapter 30: Emotions aren't logical**

Tony was itching for a drink, but he had promised himself not to slide back into alcoholism again, so he forced himself to think about something else. He spent the rest of the day driving around New York aimlessly, taking in the familiar bustling streets to calm himself down, until he could come back home without worrying the occupants about his emotional well-being.

The sun was already setting when he felt he first hunger pangs pulling at his stomach. He grimaced, remembering that he hadn't eaten anything after breakfast. Not that those three pancakes from Clint had done him any good in the end; he'd puked them all back out again.

Grudgingly, Tony went back to his Tower and headed straight for the kitchen. But when he opened the door, he was met with an unexpected sight.

"Mr. Stark, you've returned."

"Vision?"

Standing in the doorway, Tony was unsure if he should enter. Clearly, from the way the android was sitting hunched over at the kitchen table, Tony could tell that the other was distressed.

"Are you… alright?"

"No." The android looked up to give him a cursory glance. "But, sir… you don't look very well either. Did Secretary Ross give you a hard time?"

Tony huffed. "That's the understatement of the year."

After observing Vision for another moment, Tony went to sit beside the android.

"Did something happen with Clint and Wanda?"

"I– that's…"

The android hesitated, and so Tony decided to give him a way out.

"You don't have to say anything, if you don't want to," he said, "but sharing it with someone usually helps. That's what Rhodey always tells me in any case, and we both know that he's a lot better at this stuff than I am."

Frowning thoughtfully, Vision lowered his head and resumed his staring contest with the table. It took another full minute before he spoke.

"Wanda, she… apologized," he began haltingly. "So, did Clint."

Tony nodded. "Okay. That's very good. And what happened next?"

"I rejected them." Vision tried to make himself smaller by curling in on himself. His expression, normally impassive, was drawn tight with anxiety. "I know that it would have been better, had I accepted their apologies; I know I _should_ have; it would have restored harmony between us. But I just... I _couldn't_. I don't understand myself. Why could I not accept them?"

Listening to Vision talk, Tony saw a lot of himself in the other. The spastic tendency he had to hold onto logic and reason. The constant need to ask which choice will have the best outcome for everyone and which decision will merit society the most. The utter failure to recognize and acknowledge his own emotions. However much he wished it wasn't so, Tony had indeed somehow passed both his strengths and shortcomings on to Vision.

But Vision was still young, Tony reasoned, and he could teach the android to be different.

"Vision," Tony began, "did you, ah… I mean, how did you feel when they apologized to you?"

"I– I'm… not sure?"

Of course, Vision wouldn't know how to describe his feelings; having feelings was still a very new concept for the android. Tony felt like whacking himself for being an idiot.

A different approach was necessary. Tony reached over and tapped Vision across lightly his chest. "When they apologized to you, did you feel something here? Like something was pulling at you? A dull pain, maybe?"

The change in Vision was immediate. He looked back up, unfurling himself in the process, and pinned Tony with an intense stare. "You know what this is, sir?"

Tony could only offer a wan smile for the android. "What you're feeling is an emotion called anger. It's not always the punch that hurts the most, Vision; when your friends betray your trust, the psychological damage you receive is often much greater than the physical."

A troubled expression came over the android. "This anger is making me act irrationally."

"And that's not always a bad thing, Viz. Emotions often aren't logical, so what you did was completely normal," Tony quickly assured him. "I don't want you to reject your feelings. Your feelings are what make you a person."

"I… thank you, sir."

Tony chuckled. "Anytime."

"Would you… like to share your day with me?"

The question made Tony grimace. "I suppose this is a case of quid pro quo?"

"You don't have to tell me anything, if you don't want to, but–"

"But sharing helps – yeah, yeah, I know."

And so, Tony told Vision of the happenings between him and Secretary Ross.

xxx

By the time Tony had finished his tale, he felt sick and ready to puke again, so Vision pulled him up and set him to work in front of the sink to distract him from his troublesome thoughts.

"Please, wash those vegetables thoroughly, sir," the android said. "I don't think you'll appreciate having sand in your chicken noodle soup."

In the end, thanks to Tony's lack of skills in cooking, the kitchen countertop became a messy battle field with bits chopped carrot and onion scattered everywhere, bathing in splatters of olive oil. Still, the session had worked well to distract Tony from his turmoil, and under Vision's careful supervision the resulting noodle soup turned out to be surprisingly tasty.

"Hmmm… we really should do this again, Viz." Tony deftly maneuvered the chopsticks in his hand to pick up a piece of eggplant floating in his soup. "You're becoming really good."

"Thank you, sir."

There was a companionable silence between them as Tony enjoyed his noodles and Vision watched him eat from across the table, but soon their sanctuary was disturbed by the guests of the Tower.

"Something smells good here!"

Charles was the first to wheel himself into the kitchen. Following behind him was Rhodey, whose presence instantly brought a smile to Tony's face.

"Rhodey, you're here! I thought you were busy?"

"I'm never too busy to make time for you when you need it. And it seems a good thing that I'm here too, considering what kind of guests you've brought home."

And he glared behind him at Wanda, who had a plastic bag in her hand, and Clint, who was bringing up the rear end.

"W-we really are sorry for everything that happened," Clint stammered.

"Whatever." Rhodey snorted. "I'm still keeping an eye on you two." With a wobbly gait, he stalked over to take his seat next to Tony. Then, he blinked, as he noticed something missing. "What happened to the cupboard, Tony?"

"Telekinetic accident," Charles supplied as he took his customary place at the table where the seat was already removed.

Rhodey narrowed his eyes on Wanda. "You'd better pay back every dime for that," he said, and Tony rolled his eyes at his friend's vindictive temper.

"She's not going to pay it back, honey bear, she doesn't even have any money for that."

"She would, if she used her powers to build cars instead of throwing them," Rhodey commented.

Before Tony could reply to that, Wanda herself stepped in and offered the plastic bag she had with her to him. "I brought this from Sokovia."

Frowning, Tony took the bag from her. "A souvenir?"

"Ultron's head."

And Tony instantly dropped the bag. "What the _**fuck**_ , Wanda!"

"Sorry. I didn't bring it back to upset you," said Wanda. She nervously pushed a few stray strands of hair behind her ear. "It's just that… I didn't want to return here emptyhanded, and it's partly my fault that you lost your AI back then. I know that bringing Ultron's head here won't get you JARVIS back, but… you're really good with tech; and I thought, maybe you could still salvage some data from this piece of scrap that you lost during that time?"

Tony gave the plastic bag another distasteful look. "Thanks… I suppose. I'll look into it."

Wanda and Clint then took their own seat at the table, both of them feeling decidedly out of place, as Rhodey continued to spew vitriol at them. Charles, for his part, ignored the comments to the best of his abilities, instead finding his source of amusement in Vision whom he – Tony was certain – was subtly trying to convert to the dark side.

 _Well_ , Tony mused, _as he picked up his chopsticks again, this day might've been terrible from the start, but it could have been much, much worse without Viz and Rhodey here for me._

But Tony had counted his lucky stars too soon, and the day had not yet ended.

An insistent vibration in his pocket alerted him to the fact that someone was calling him, and he pulled out his phone to check the caller. He frowned when his display showed him an unknown number.

Sliding the green arrow across the display left-handedly, he answered the call. "Hello?"

"Tony? It's Phil. You're on the news."

The chopsticks slid from his grasp to clatter on the ground.

"It's not good, Tony. Ross has leaked out the worst parts of the fight, while withholding the context it took place in; the news is portraying you as a villain who bullied Captain America into leaving the States."

The ruckus around him had stopped and five sets of expectant eyes were watching him carefully.

"Things aren't unsalvageable though. Director Mace may be Ross's nephew, but I've come to learn that he doesn't always agree with Ross's work. I've managed to persuade him to allow the release of the entire video together with the footage of your parents', ah… death. Anyway, I think it's best, if SHIELD and you hold a joint press conference for this. I know it's painful for you, but we need to be the ones to control this story."

The phone creaked in his sweaty hand, and suddenly it was all too much. He threw the gadget onto the table and ran for the sink, where he expelled his entire dinner from his stomach.

"Tony? Are you still there?"

xxx

It wasn't long after the press conference that public opinion on Tony did a one-hundred-and-eighty degree. He was no longer the bully. Now he was the victim, the underdog, and someone to be pitied. It chafed at his pride, but Iron Man's popularity was unmistakably surging up.

Three days after SHIELD officially released the footage of Siberia, the Tower received a new visitor. Sam had come straight from Wakanda to apologize to Tony.

* * *

TBC...


	31. Some are petty

**Chapter 31: Some are petty**

 _ **Far, far away from Stark** **Tower**_

Everything hurt.

His body was battered and broken; his heart felt like it had been trampled to tiny pieces. He felt like giving up, but knew that wasn't an option. He had to keep going, keep fighting. He was attacked by monsters. They dished out their punishment, and he screamed as the pain tore through him.

All the while, those blue eyes kept judging him. _You're nothing,_ they told him. _You will always be nothing._

He was pushed down by strong, powerful hands; nevertheless, he tried to fight back against his captor, clawing, biting, and—

"Wake up, Loki! Wake up! It is but a bad dream, brother!"

—and Loki woke up from his nightmare, screaming and struggling as he was being held down by Thor.

Where was he?

He blinked rapidly as he took in his surroundings, all the while gasping for short bursts of panicky breathe.

Everything came back to him soon enough. They were in a spaceship with Thor's newest batch of peculiar friends, heading for Midgard.

"Are you alright, Loki? What did you dream of?" Thor asked in concern, but Loki pushed him off of himself with a sneer.

"It's nothing you need to worry your head over."

Thor's disappointment at being met by his cold indifference only angered Loki more. He left Thor behind to find some solitude, but it seemed impossible to find that kind of peace with so many passengers confined in such a small spaceship.

He settled for a small compartment that was occupied by the man housing the green beast. Loki had come to know him as quiet, unassuming, yet quite intelligent in the time that they had (quite unwillingly) spend together on this ship. Currently, Bruce Banner was practicing a Midgardian breathing technique to calm himself, so Loki was confident that the other would not bother him unduly.

The stars flitted past them: some like tiny fireflies, others much larger in size. Loki counted them silently to kill the time.

After half an hour, Bruce finally spoke. "Why are you here, Loki? You don't usually seek out my company."

"What makes you think I'm here for _you_?"

"If you're not here for me, then you must be here to get away from the others. Are you having an argument with your brother again?"

"He's not my brother," Loki said automatically, but he did not have the energy to put much heat behind his words. "I don't understand what he wants from me."

"He obviously still cares about you," Bruce pointed out, but Loki scoffed at the very idea presented to him.

"I'm sure he does, that sentimental fool."

From the corner of his eyes, he saw the other man raise his hands up in appeasement. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean anything by that. I know it's not my place to involve myself in your family disputes with Thor."

Loki huffed softly. When Banner wasn't turned into a beast, he was fairly inoffensive. In fact, the man was almost tolerable.

"I can't get rid of him," Loki said.

"You mean Thor?" Bruce guessed, and Loki nodded.

"He seems to be following me wherever I go. If I were still my younger self, I'd probably be happy; I always wanted him to be there, but he never was. Thor was always away with the Warriors Three and Lady Sif. Except for within my dreams, he never seemed to have time for his clingy little brother. Now, I want to be left alone, and yet he can't seem to take the hint. Even in my nightmares, he keeps haunting me."

Bruce gave Loki a dry look. "If you're looking for sympathy, then you have the wrong guy in front of you. I'm permanently haunted by the Other Guy, who killed my soulmate."

Loki blinked in surprise. He'd thought Bruce Banner to be a convenient ear to unload his frustrations upon, but he hadn't anticipated the other to divulge his own set of problems in turn.

"The beast... killed your soulmate?"

Loki could tell that Bruce tried to be nonchalant about the affair, but he noticed the man's eyes turning glassy. "It was during his rampage through Johannesburg that my heartsong became silent. Some people would call it a coincidence, but... I don't believe it. I don't believe in coincidences."

"That's why I hate the Norns so much," Loki commented.

"The Norns?"

Bruce frowned, and Loki had the distinct impression that the man had no idea what he was talking about.

"The Norns are Skuld, Urd and Verdandi. They've made their lair at the roots of Yggdrasill, and are the ones who dictate the fates of the people of the Nine Worlds."

"I'm... still not sure what that all means," Bruce said hesitantly, "but it seems to me that Asgardians ascribe to some form of determinism?"

Loki frowned. "How do you Midgardians explain fate and destiny, if not through the Norns?"

"Well, some of us do not believe in fate," said Bruce. "I know that Natasha prefers the term 'coincidence'. There have been times when bad things have happened to her that she had no control over; and yet, she hates the thought that fate or destiny are the source of such events, so she prefers to believe that these things happened at random.

"Others, like yourself, believe in determinism. It's when you think that a higher power has control over your life. Steve, for example, believes in God. He believes that God has already written out how the entire history of the universe will unfold and that certain clues of future events can be found in the Bible.

"Then you have people like myself and Tony. Tony opposes the notion of determinism very vehemently. He prefers to believe that people are in control and can influence how history is being shaped through choices. But the actions we take based on our choices have consequences, and sometimes... sometimes we can't oversee them. I chose to help Tony create the Ultron program, because we both believed that it would eliminate the need for the Avengers, but... I never thought it would turn out the way it did."

"I see." Loki quirked a small smile. "It's like the age old argument I have with Thor. Do the Norns dictate our paths in this world or are they simply guiding us through it?"

"We on Midgard call it the question of free will," said Bruce. "I believe we have it, and that our choices affect our future. I believe history is shaped by causality."

"May I ask you then," said Loki, "whether you had a choice in who your soulmate was?"

Bruce blinked. "I... no."

Loku smirked. "That's because they are chosen for you by the Norns. They _do_ dictate your life."

"That's... rather horrible."

"It is," Loki concurred.

"Why would the Norns choose a soulmate for me, just to take her away again before we even met?"

"The Norns are petty like that," said Loki.

xxx

 _ **Elsewhere, far away from Stark Tower**_

The phone is picked up after only the second ring.

"Hello?" was tentatively spoken from the other side of the line. The man was hesitant. Wary.

"I probably have no right to say this to you, Steve, but you're a hypocritical bastard and you should go fuck yourself."

"Nat!?"

Natasha rolled her eyes. "Yes, it's me."

"Nat, is something the matter? Did something happen!"

"What happened is that I saw the news."

"… Oh."

"I can't believe you did that to Tony!"

"I tried to do what's right, Nat."

"Don't bullshit me, Rogers!" Natasha snapped. "You could have told him about his parents!"

"Look, you were the one who entrusted me to the decide what to do with this information," said Steve and Natasha felt like tearing her own hair out.

"No, I did not 'entrust you to decide'. I trusted you to _tell_ him."

"Why didn't _you_ do it, Nat? Why did I have to be the one to tell him?"

Natasha gritted her teeth. "Perhaps you don't remember, Steve, but I was the spy who wrote that scathing profile you read on Tony before meeting him. Tony and I have never gotten along, because I was a backstabbing liar towards him from the moment of our very first meeting; so, do you really think _**me**_ the appropriate person to break the news of his parents' murder to him? You were the Avengers' leader and his father's friend, Steve, **and** you were _his_ friend: that made you the best person to tell him."

"I'm sorry." Steve sounded contrite through the tinny speaker. "I thought I was doing it to protect him from the pain, but... I was being a selfish coward."

"Yeah, you were."

"That's enough, Nat. I feel bad enough as it is, I don't need you to tell off too."

Natasha clenched the phone a bit tighter into her hand. "You feel bad? How do you think I feel? I betrayed Tony for _you_ , Steve. I did it against my own better judgement, because you were my friend and I considered you my better half. After what happened at the Triskelion, you'd become my conscience, you know. I thought that if there ever comes another time when I can no longer tell whose lies I'm telling anymore, I'll always have Steve Rogers to fall back on; I can trust him to tell the difference for me. But I was wrong to rely on you. I placed too much trust in your sense of right and wrong. You want to compare notes, Rogers? You may have lost Tony, but I lost my own conscience!"

"That... that was petty of you, Nat."

"At least I'm willing to admit that I'm petty."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Natasha scoffed. "While you and I are measuring our small woes against each other, the one who actually suffered unjustifiably is Tony."

"What do you want me to do, Nat? I've tried to apologize, but he won't hear it. He's rejecting everything I say."

"Then perhaps you should try to match your actions to your words," Natasha suggested sarcastically.

"Nat. Stop it."

Natasha felt the phone creaking under her grip. "Maybe _you_ should stop it, Steve. Stop trying to defend your actions. They were inexcusable then, they continue to be inexcusable now. You want to make it up to Tony? Perhaps you can start by supporting those propositions he made."

A beat of silence followed that statement.

Then, softly, Steve said: "You don't know what you're saying."

"Yes, I do," Natasha replied. "At least you still have a soulmate. Even if he doesn't want you."

With that said, she turned off the phone and threw it into the river behind her that swept it away in its current. She hurried back to the bar where her two companions were waiting for her, but found them in the company of a third woman.

When she approached them, the woman turned to her and smiled. "It's been a while, Agent Romanoff."

"I'm not part of SHIELD anymore, Maria."

"I'm here on behalf of Fury; SHIELD is not involved in this."

"You should listen to her," said Bobbi, "she's got some interesting things to say."

Natasha turned her eyes to Hunter, and when he confirmed Bobbi's words with a nod, she gave her attention back to Maria. "What do you have for us?"

"Fury is assembling a new team. He wants you three in."

Natasha pinched her nose in exasperation. "What is this? Some sort of Secret Avengers?"

"Call it what you want," said Maria, "but this team will put you back where you belong: on the field. You've been compromised for too long, Romanoff, and you know it. This is your chance to right what's gone wrong."

"What's the mission of this team?" Natasha asked.

"There isn't one yet, because we still need to contact another person."

"Who?" Natasha demanded.

"Tony Stark." Maria smirked at the surprise she witnessed from the other spy. "Stark is working on a goal that we're also invested in, so Fury thought it best if we pool our resources together. He sent an agent over to contact Stark on the matter."

Natasha blinked. "Wait. Fury chooses Stark over Rogers?"

Maria snorted softly. "Fury doesn't give a damn about the Sokovia Accords, Romanoff. No, this is not about that soap opera or the resulting 'lovers spat' between Stark and Rogers as Fury likes to call it."

"Well, it's a bit petty to call what happened in Siberia a 'lovers spat'," Hunter began, but Maria ignored his comment.

"Fury's target is Ross and his main benefactor, the President himself. Ross's rise to power in the political arena is too sudden, and there's a strange pattern to the flow of money between the two. We need to uncover what's going on."

Natasha thought about the offer.

She didn't have the right to come back into Tony's life after she betrayed him, but she could still help him out from the shadows. This would help Tony.

She looked to her companions, and she saw in their eyes how tired they were from running away from the law, and the fervent wish they had to get back into the field. This would make her friends feel better.

She was tired of running too; she wanted to be back in the field. This would make her feel better.

This would help Tony, would help Bobbi and Hunter, and would help herself.

Mission or personal desires?

This time, she did not have to choose.

"I'm in."

* * *

TBC...


	32. Interlude III

**Chapter 32: Interlude III**

 _ **Far, far away from Earth**_

"Are you telling Bruce Banner lies about the Norns, Loki?" a voice boomed through the room.

The two looked up from their conversation to find Thor standing in the doorway with his arms crossed in front of his chest disapprovingly.

Loki rolled his eyes, ready to tell Thor off, but Bruce forestalled him.

"We were having a conversation about soulmates."

"Ah, I see." Thor's eyes lit up. "Man of Iron told me that Midgardians do not have the soulmark, but are instead blessed with a heartsong."

"What's a heartsong?"

From behind Thor's legs, the furball, Rocket, and his sentient houseplant, Groot, suddenly popped up. Moving around Thor's legs, Rocket entered the compartment area and Thor followed behind him.

"A heartsong is the song you hear in your being, Rocket. It's the bond that connects you to the one you're meant to be with," Bruce explained. "I used to have one as well, but... now it's just me, the Other Guy and Betty."

"Betty?" Thor asked with some confusion.

"Betty Ross. She's the Other Guy's soulmate," Bruce clarified, but his expression dimmed as he spoke.

"I don't understand." Rocket's nose twitched to show his confusion. "I don't hear any song."

Loki lifted a brow at Rocket's easy admission. Asgardians, as a rule, avoided creatures without soulmates like the plague, because a lack of soulmate was an indication of soullessness, and to Asgard a soulless creature was on the same level as any bilgesnipe.

"Well, you heard Thor," he said to the raccoon, "Asgardians don't have heartsongs, but soulmarks. Perhaps you have one too, hidden by that fur of yours. Or perhaps;" and here, his lips curled into a mean smile, "perhaps the Norns did not give you a soulmate; they have never bother with the lower life forms."

A low growl escaped from Rocket's throat at that insult. "Don't test me, you bastard," he snarled, and even as Groot tried to placate him, he bared his teeth to the fallen god.

Coming to stand between he two warring parties, Thor shot his brother a chastising look. "Do not antagonize our friends here, brother," he lectured Loki, but his reprimand had the unfortunate effect of reminding Loki of why he had sought solitude in the first place.

Feeling his anger stirring in the pit of his stomach, Loki acidly replied: "They're your friends. Not mine."

Thor was about to return that comment with one of his own, but Bruce, who had seen the argument coming from a mile away, nipped it in the bud by quickly intervening with a question.

"You said something about a 'soulmark', Thor?"

It was enough to distract the thunder god from his brother's antagonism, and with a smile Thor showed Bruce the inside of his arm. "See, this here, my friend? This is my soulmark."

"It... kind of looks like code," Bruce remarked with curiosity and Thor laughed loudly at that, his booming voice ringing through the area.

"You Midgardians are so amusing! Man of Iron said the same thing!"

"I am Groot?"

Rocket turned to Loki. "Hey, bastard," he called out, "Groot's asking you, if you have those same patterns on your arm."

Loki narrowed his eyes into a glare at the raccoon, but did nothing as the sentient houseplant climbed out of his pot and in, an overly familiar manner, began to pull back the sleeve that covered Loki's own mark.

When the soulmark was uncovered, Bruce frowned in thought. "This pattern looks different."

"That's because it is," said Loki. He felt a spark of bitterness rekindle at the pit of his stomach. "The soulmark is the name of the Aesir's soulmate as written in the secret language of the Norns. The All-Father tried to hide my Frost Giant heritage with this guise, but even he cannot replicate the Norn's secret language."

"Frost Giants do not have soulmarks then?" Bruce asked.

"No. We have The Haunting."

"Uhh... that sounds creepy." A slight shift in Bruce's position indicated his nervousness, but Thor's booming laugh bouncing off the walls of the ship quickly dispelled his anxiety.

"It is but a name, my friend. In truth it simply means that Frost Giants can feel the presence of their soulmate in their dreams."

"It is not that simple," Loki contradicted. "The presence isn't easily discerned. Sometimes, the soulmate is seen, sometimes they are detected by sound or smell, and at yet other times, it can simply be a feeling or a memory. The presence can be solid like a rock, but it can be fleeting as the wind too. In every dream the form of the presence changes. And considering how often a dream is forgotten upon waking, it is quite impossible for a Frost Giant to determine their other half with absolute certainty. This, in contrast to the Aesir, who can confirm their other half simply by going through the rites of marriage; if the other half is their one, the soulmark will change in coloring."

"Asgardians complete their soulbond through marriage?" Bruce asked in surprise and curiosity.

"It is not the same for Midgard then?" Thor asked with equal interest.

"Uh, no. We, err... consummate the bond."

"Sex." Loki snorted. "It is the same. The Asgardian marriage rites end with sex. I suppose the difference is that it is a public affair. Asgard does not recognize the legality of a marriage that has not been publicly consummated, because we cannot ascertain that both parties are willing participants unless we see them in the act with our own eyes."

"But what if you can't consummate it?" Rocket piped up.

"Then you will not complete your bond," said Loki. "Which isn't necessarily a bad thing. There are both upsides and downsides to completing a soulbond. To give an example: a mentally strong soulmate can pull their dying other half away from the brink of death, but a weaker half can also easily be pulled into death with their partner."

"You are looking at this much too calculatingly, Loki," Thor protested. "A soulbond is not about weighing the upsides from the downsides. It is about being with the one you are meant to be with. It is about loving the soul you are meant to love in whatever manner you are able to. Two souls give themselves over to the bond to become one!"

"I've got absolutely no time for your sappy romanticism, Thor," Loki said.

"Hnn… as much as I hate to admit it, I think I have to agree with the bastard here," said Rocket. "I can't see myself devoting that much to another. Besides, I already have Groot."

"I am Groot," the plant reiterated.

"Exactly." And Rocket beamed at his companion.

Watching the two interact, Loki suddenly got a funny feeling. He looked from the furball to the sentient houseplant and then back to the furball again. Everyone on the ship knew that the two were close; much closer than the other three of the Guardians, even though the five were considered fire-forged friends. Furthermore, Rocket was the only one who could fully understand Groot's incomprehensible speech. It was almost as if the two were…

"Thor, the Flora Colossi typically cannot be understood by other species without proper tools for the translation of their speech, right?"

"Of course," said Thor, at the same time as Rocket began to protest that notion.

"Hey, I understand what Groot says perfectly!"

Loki ignored the furball in favor of pointing out another established fact of the sentient plant species. "Don't the Flora Colossi initiate bonding to their soulmates by establishing a mindlink?"

Thor frowned in thought. "I believe so."

When Loki once more allowed his eyes wander between plant and raccoon, it was Bruce who caught him in the act, and following his gaze back and forth, the doctor's keen mind quickly came to the same conclusion.

"Oh dear…"

* * *

TBC...


	33. For the future

**Chapter 33: For the future**

"―is the reason why I am making the status of my relationship with Steve Rogers public. You saw what he did to me. The current soul bond regulation laws are inadequate. They need to be amended."

Quietly, Clint plopped down next to Sam on the couch in front of the TV, a plate of cucumber slices in his hand. Picking one slice from the plate, he began to nibble on the vegetable while watching the news anchor's rapid commentary.

"Since Tony Stark made public the controversial nature of his relationship with Steve Rogers, opinions of the public have polarized. While an increasing number call for changes to be made to the Romeo and Juliet laws, there has been growing push back from conservatives circles, which argue that tradition and the universal sacredness of the soul bond have formed these laws and that they must therefore remain as they are. Among them are also still a minor number of staunch Captain America supporters who believe Tony Stark is slandering their fallen idol. These supporters demand for a soul bond identification test to be taken to confirm if Tony and Steve Rogers are indeed connected, or whether Tony Stark is, as they believe, lying. In related news, the exhumation of the late Howard Stark and his wife Maria―"

Sam grabbed the remote control lying beside him on the couch and muted the TV with a scoff. "They're making a spectacle of his life," he said with revulsion.

"That's nothing new," Clint replied, though he was equally disgusted by the publicity. "I still can't believe they're supposed to be soulmates." He picked up another slice of cucumber, but stopped when he saw Sam looking at him with raised eyebrows. "What?"

"Oh, nothing. I just didn't peg you for being the health conscious type."

"Uhh…," said Clint, "you probably don't know this yet, since you only just arrived, but Tony has banned a lot of pre-processed food from entering the Tower. He says he wants to support Vision's culinary career, so… there's not a single potato chip left in the kitchen."

Sam looked surprised. "I didn't know Vision cooked. I mean, besides that one time when he made that rubbery macaroni and cheese. I figured he'd stopped after that."

"Well, you're in for a surprise then," Clint commented, and he nibbled on another slice of cucumber.

They stared at the flickering screen for a few moments, while the reporter soundlessly made his story known, but then Clint decided to break the silence:

"Did you apologize to him?"

"Yeah."

"What did he say?"

"Tony… he said that he understood why I trusted Steve, because Steve was my friend and I didn't really know Tony that well. It still doesn't excuse the things I accused him of over that phone call. I was presumptuous and judgmental and, frankly, I had acted unprofessionally."

Clint frowned. "What? You spoke to him? After… that… you know, 'Civil War'?"

"Yeah. He needed help so he contacted me, but… after those things I said, I don't think I'm the right person for the job. That's why I referred him to a colleague; she'll be better for him."

Clint was rather curious about what kind of help Tony had needed, and he had a huge urge to needle Sam for details, but after everything that had happened, he was in no position to push his luck. This was private. Clint knew he had no right to stick his nose into Tony's affairs, so instead he directed the conversation to another area of concern.

"Have you thought of what you're going to do now that you've returned?"

Sam smiled. "I have actually. I figured that this would be a good opportunity to help Tony draft those Superhero Accords."

Clint gave Sam a confused look. "But… I thought you were against governmental oversight," he said, only to receive a perplexed look from the other.

"Clint, you remember that I used to work in the military, right? Why would I ever be against governmental oversight?"

"But… you were against the Sokovia Accords," Clint pointed out.

"Yes, the _Sokovia_ Accords, specifically. Not oversight in general." Sam shrugged.

"But if you're not against oversight, then why did you side with Steve? You know that he's completely against any form of 'red tape', right? He said that when we were in Wakanda."

Sam let out a tired sigh. "Please don't remind me of that. I told you guys that I was tracking Barnes with Steve at the time, remember? And then we found out that a whole army of Winter Soldiers might be activated at any moment – it was crazy! I didn't have any time to sit down and think over the Accords, because finding those Soldiers took priority. I made some really bad decisions, but it was like being inside a pressure cooker, you know. Looking back on it now, I can see where I went wrong, but hindsight is always twenty-twenty."

"So," said Clint, "you regret going along with Steve then?"

Sam nodded in resignation. "Sort of, yeah. Steve and I should've shared our investigation with the rest of the Avengers. We should have let the entire team know what we were working on." He rubbed a hand over his tired face. "Anyway, I figure the Superhero Accords are a way to fix those parts from the Sokovia Accords that I felt were lacking. I always thought that the Sokovia Accords were put together in a rush and that they were too unclear in certain places. For example, look at what Ross did to us. The reason why that guy could so easily throw us in the Raft was because the Sokovia Accords didn't mention anything about protecting the Avengers from persecution at all. They didn't mention anything about our rights. Tony said he wanted to fix that with his new Accords, so I want to support him."

Clint gave the other man an assessing look. If Sam thought that he was going to benefit from his input into the new Accords, then he would be sorely disappointed. "You realize that you're not a superhero anymore, right?"

But Sam simply shrugged again. "That doesn't matter. I know I'm going to be trialed for what happened and there is a chance that I might end up in jail, but I'm not doing this for myself. Even if I cannot be an Avenger again, I want to help develop the Superhero Accords. I want to leave something good behind for a future generation of heroes."

"That's really… uh, good."

Clint felt rather awkward, as he was aware of the fact that he did not possess the visionary talent that Sam was currently displaying. Clint had always been a here-and-now guy. He preferred to take orders, rather than deliver them; and he preferred to dive in head first rather than devise a plan to tackle the issue. He never planned his missions the way Natasha did, which was why they worked so well together. For some reason, she really enjoys it whenever he messes up one of her plans and they have to improvise.

When Clint heard a soft fumbling, he looked up to see Sam turning off the TV.

"Let's go find Tony, okay?" said Sam. "We can bounce some ideas we have on the Accords off of him."

"Sure."

The two left the living room behind.

* * *

TBC...


	34. BARF and Fido

**Chapter 34: BARF and Fido**

Sam and Clint found Tony tinkering with the BARF in his workshop. They greeted each other in a friendly manner, but Clint felt the distance between them that had not been there before the rift caused by the 'Civil War'.

"Thank you for recommending your colleague, by the way, Sam," said Tony, as he gazed at a hologram in front of him, unbothered by their presence. "It's only been two sessions, but she already gave me a lot of insight, and she's also been rather helpful with interpreting my interactions with the BARF, which helps speed up my re-calibrations."

Sam blinked, not having anticipated such a fortunate outcome. "Uhh... I'm glad I could help." Clearing his throat awkwardly, he said, "Clint and I actually came here, because… well, you're working on those Superhero Accords, right? I thought, maybe we could give some insight, help you develop them? I want to support you, Tony; I want to help make them _better_ than the Sokovia Accords."

That made Tony look up in astonishment. "You want to support the new Accords?" he asked, as if he did not quite believe what he was hearing.

Sam shrugged uncomfortably. "Yeah. I mean, there were things written in the Sokovia Accords that I didn't like, and some things that were not in it that I felt should have been in there...I feel like this is an opportunity for us to improve upon those old Accords, make them into something that we _can_ agree with, and that future generations of superheroes can also rely on."

"That's..." Tony did not seem to know what to say for a moment, too caught in surprise to react.

Sheepishly, Clint raised a hand and said, "As a former Avenger and SHIELD agent I'd like to volunteer my expertise too."

That snapped Tony back into focus. "You can put the hand down, Barton, we're not in kindergarten." He swiped across a screen and all his machinery turned off. "What you're proposing sounds great, though; the Superhero Accords could use a few more eyes and brains to look them over. Let's go upstairs. I need to feed Fido, and after that we can raid the kitchen and talk."

And Tony ushered two flabbergasted ex-Avengers up the stairs.

 _Fido?_ thought Clint. _When did Tony get a dog?_

xxx

As it turned out, Fido was not a dog.

"Your colleague suggested that I get a therapy pet," Tony said to Sam, "But I'm not the type that likes fur or feathers, so I got myself something else instead."

The two ex-Avengers could only look on speechlessly, as Tony flipped open the lid of a small aquarium tank that sat in his office, held a small hoop above the water, and his well-trained betta fish sprang through it.

"Do you think I should teach him basketball next or soccer?"

xxx

While Clint vehemently denied that fish could be taught any tricks and that it was a mere coincidence that Fido had sprung through the hoop, and Tony set out to prove him wrong, Sam's eyes caught a particular item in the office. He felt his breath caught in his throat as he approached the item lying in the corner of the office room and picked it up.

The red-and-blue colors were painted over and the star that used to sit at the center was replaced by the trademark eagle logo of SHIELD.

"This is..."

"Oh that."

He looked up to find that Tony had stopped his bantering with Clint to stare at the item with hooded eyes.

"I was planning to give that to the Patriot. I find that it suits Jeffrey..."

 _... better than Steve._ ― he did not say, but Sam and Clint could still hear clearly.

Sam was about to say something, when FRIDAY alerted them: "Boss, your cousin has come to visit you."

Tony frowned. "Clint. Sam. I think you two should go back to your rooms for now. We'll have that talk later, okay?"

He left them in the office to meet with Sharon Carter.

* * *

TBC...


End file.
